Phact Phantasia
by Blackrazgriz
Summary: A young girl kills both of her parents by the influence of a voice in her head. The top brass in Konoha reacts by erasing her memories and placing her in a orphanage. As she struggles to redefine herself, she befriends a young blonde boy who is ostracized by his peers. Finding kinship in the boy, she promises to protect him no matter what, even if it means she has to kill again.
1. Innocence, With a Hint of Insanity

**Chapter 1: Innocence, with a Hint of Insanity**

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**Warning: While this fanfiction does use characters from the _Tales of Phantasia_ Universe, the characters have entirely different personalities that will comply with the general plot of this story. It is a crossover per definition, but the characters are entirely 'OoC' and their universes are not intermingling (i.e. Naruto meets with Cless in Aselia and vice versa). Please enjoy this story.**

**_Naruto_ owned by Masashi Kishimoto. _Tales of Phantasia_ owned by Namco Bandai. I reserve no rights for the characters in the story.**

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_Hokage Tower, Konohagakure no Sato (1815 hours, August 24, 7 AK [After Kyuubi])_

Sarutobi Hiruzen was enjoying his afternoon tea while puffing on his beloved pipe. It was at the end of a stressful day like this that Hiruzen can truly rest and rewind. He turned on his chair to face outside of the window, where he had a stellar view of the village. Hokage Tower, aside from the Hokage Monument, was the highest point of the entire village. From his seat, he could see every single district of Konohagakure no Sato. He could see the large, traditional styled architecture of the Hyuuga Clan Estate. He could see the large fields of the Nara Clan Estate, where they groomed and raised deer for their antlers. He could see the smaller Akimichi Clan Estate, filled with its unique and exotic restaurants, and the flower shops of the Yamanaka Estate. He could see the Academy, with its rooftop directly perpendicular to the faces of the Hokage Monument, a reminder to all the students that they may also become as strong and powerful as their predecessor before them.

Sarutobi could not help but feel pride in the village he yearned to protect. Although he was forced out of his retirement due to the untimely demise of the Yondaime Hokage, he could not help but enjoy his job. He loved his people with all of his heart, and he could not bear to see someone with a lack of experience take the mantle of leadership. That was why he accepted the Council's offer to be reinstated as the Hokage.

The Kyuubi's spontaneous assault of Konoha 6 years ago had devastated the village. Many valiant lives were taken from the village, including that of his wife, Sarutobi Biwako. The previous candidates for the position of Hokage were slaughtered in the initial assault. Survivors of the onslaught were generally unfit for the position. ANBU agents were better suited as followers rather than leaders. Clan heads, such as Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Chouza, Hyuuga Hiashi, and Uchiha Fugaku, were all too preoccupied with clan politics and the day-by-day administration of their respective clans to take on a job that demanded generality and impartiality. Many of the rookie jounin barely had much experience under their belts. Hatake Kakashi was possibly the best Jounin alive after the Kyuubi's attack, but he was only 14 at the time, and far too young to run a large, sophisticated village like Konoha. And many families were destroyed, leaving uncounted numbers of orphans.

The sheer amount of orphans left at the wake of the Kyuubi assault overwhelmed the Council. Many millions of Ryo had to be allocated to the care and wellbeing of these newfound orphans. Headmasters of the various orphanage organizations found themselves beginning to break down under the pressure of the sudden influx of children. Some even committed suicide, not willing to bear the burden that was tossed upon them.

Konoha was in economic and social ruins following the Kyuubi's attack. Konoha was not completely destroyed, but it would take years to fully recover. In the meanwhile, Konoha had to mask its weakness with the pretense that its new Jinchuuriki was unbelievably powerful. All nations understood and feared the power of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. It alone gave Konoha an overwhelming advantage over villages like Sunagakure, who had only one Jinchuuriki that was but a child, or Kirigakure, who was currently conflicted with internal affairs to focus its efforts on pursuing wars it could not afford. Konoha nearly avoided a war with Kumogakure after they had the audacity to attempt a kidnapping of the Hyuuga heiress. For now, Kumo and Konoha maintained a neutral position with each other, not willing to be assertive with their own interests with each other. Iwagakure, on the other hand…

Iwa was active in its hostile relations with Konoha. Though neither village was willing to declare war with the other, following Konoha's victory in the Third Shinobi World War, Iwa and Konoha has engaged in multiple skirmishes that led to the loss of many Jounin and Chuunin alike. If Iwa discovered that Konoha's Jinchuuriki was not as powerful as Konoha claimed it was, then they would not think twice about invasion.

In a fragile political climate like this, only the Sandaime Hokage was the most viable option for the position. All other potential candidates were simply not fit for a leadership position. Jiraiya, the Toad Sennin, had to overlook his extensive spy network and was gone from the village most days of the year. Tsunade, the Slug Sennin, was an emotional wreck following the death of her fiancée and little brother between the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. Orochimaru had turned traitor 3 years back. Even if he did not, his amoral ideals and thirst for power and knowledge made him a horrible candidate, hence the reason why Hiruzen chose Namikaze Minato over his own protégé.

There was one other candidate for the position of Hokage. She was Minato's genin teammate. Fujibayashi Shiina was not killed during the assault of the Kyuubi. She was the matriarch of the Fujibayashi family, who were not yet an official clan. Because of their pending clanship, Shiina was the perfect candidate for Hokage.

Shiina, along with her husband Fujibayashi Mumei, left their mark in history at the Third Shinobi World War. While Minato, who became known as the Yellow Flash during this war, spearheaded the assault of Kannabi Bridge and the recapture of the Land of Plains (which housed Kusagakure), Shiina fought Iwa shinobi in the Land of Currents (which housed Takigakure), preventing that key country from falling to Iwa's hands and giving them pathways for a potential invasion of the Land of Fire. Shiina was an amazing Kunoichi in her own right, possibly the second greatest kunoichi after Tsunade. She was feared as the Ruby Slash because of her distinguishable attire and proficiency with her signature weapon, the Wakizashi. In addition, she was adept at incorporating elemental chakra into her ninja tools, furthering granting them piercing and explosive power leagues higher than their base forms. She single-handedly created the branch of ninjutsu, Ninbukijutsu, which she personally named the "Igaguri Style of Bukijutsu."

Fujibayashi Shiina was a prime candidate for the position of Hokage. However, she became pregnant with her first child at around the same time that Uzumaki Kushina became pregnant. Shiina was still pregnant when the Kyuubi attacked and had to move to a farther location with the rest of the evacuated citizens. She gave birth to her daughter, Fujibayashi Suzu, at the Winter Equinox and had to take care of her during her early years. Because of her new responsibilities as a mother, she couldn't be Hokage after Suzu's birth.

He thought about the unfortunate circumstances his village was forced to deal with, but he took the time to appreciate its subtle beauty. It was during the sunset that the Village truly shined. The vermilion light illuminating the roofs and buildings of the Village as the sun receded into the horizon. He looked at his own face on the Hokage Monument. It was a reminder of what he was like in his prime: confident, powerful, and selfless beyond fault. He still was in this old age, but he also gained a sagely wisdom from his years of experience dealing with the clans, the Council, and Shimura Danzō.

However, he was not without regret. Possibly his greatest single regret was his inability to uphold the final wishes of the Yondaime Hokage; to treat the new Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Naruto, as the hero of Konoha. He thought that, by suppressing information of Naruto's Jinchuuriki status under penalty of death, the villagers will gradually begin to look at him like a normal child. He would gain friends and loved ones, and people would come to respect him as his own person, not as the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Unfortunately that did not turn out to be the case. An information leak merely minutes following the sealing led to over half of the village knowing Naruto's true status. These people hated him with a burning passion, and some of them even attempted to kill the baby as he was being brought over to Hiruzen.

Hiruzen sighed. These civilians have no idea about chakra constructs like bijuu. Once their jinchuuriki were killed, the bijuu would reform in the same amount of years as their tails. Bijuu were immortal, and made completely of chakra, not of flesh and bone like humans. Merely killing Naruto would not stop the Kyuubi from coming back to destroy Konoha.

Besides, Naruto did not deserve the villagers' hate. He was a happy-go-lucky, jubilant kid, according to the reports from the orphanage that took care of him. Sure, he engaged in pranks, but he would never attempt to maliciously harm his fellow residents. Hiruzen knew that these pranks were attempts to gain much needed attention from people who were harshly ignoring him. Children need positive attention; otherwise they grew up to be introverted and asocial. Hiruzen did not want Naruto to be like that, but there was little he could do in his position.

As the Hokage, he needed to maintain his neutrality in all aspects of government. No clan was allowed to adopt the Jinchuuriki because it would show bias. If Hiruzen was perceived to have a bias towards a specific clan, it could lead to problematic internal conflicts. Hiruzen himself was not allowed to adopt the child, since he was the clan head of the Sarutobi clan. He could not give the child to Danzō because Danzō would focus on making him an emotionless tool dedicated to the preservation of Konoha.

Kakashi had offered to adopt the child into his family, but not only was he too young and incapable of taking care of children, but his relationship with the Yondaime Hokage would raise eyebrows as to the child's true heritage. Jiraiya was away from the village when the attack took place, but he immediately rushed home after he heard what occurred. He couldn't adopt the child either because of the amount of danger his job entailed. Not to mention he was a lousy father figure, preferring to watch women bathe over taking care of toddlers.

Hiruzen's only other option was to place him in an orphanage. Even then, the selection of the orphanage would have put him in quite a predicament. He ultimately decided to place him in the orphanage that was least known, Komatsuzaki Homes. An orphanage that lacked reputation would cause the least amount of scandal. He did not have time to waste over arguments against his every decision.

He spent too much time thinking about the difficulties of his position. Hiruzen was tired, and the day was coming to an end. He needed to fill out paperwork on the late coming missions, and then he would be able to retire of the evening. He wanted to be with his grandson, Sarutobi Konohamaru. The child's parents had both died during the Kyuubi's attack, leaving him as an orphan much like Naruto. But unlike Naruto, he was under the protective care of his grandfather and uncle, Sarutobi Asuma. Naruto had no one.

As Hiruzen finished the day's paperwork, the door to his office was abruptly smashed open. An Uchiha police officer came in, looking exhausted from an apparently long run.

"H…Hokage-sama!" The Uchiha said, panting heavily from his sprint.

"Uchiha-san, you know the day is coming to a close." Hiruzen said, straightening a stack of paper. "Please tell me what is so urgent that you need to dash violently into my office?"

The Uchiha tried to catch his breath before he continued. "There's…there's been a murder!"

"A murder? In Konoha?" Hiruzen was baffled. There hasn't been a murder in Konoha since Tobirama proclaimed the Uchiha as the sole clan for Konoha's Military Police about 40 years ago. The Uchiha were very thorough in their forensics and investigations, having arrested the correct felon 100% of the time. It was a major deterrent for potential criminals, so no major crimes were committed inside of Konoha, other than petty larceny, graffiti, and other misdemeanors. For a murder to have occurred at this time…

"Who was the victim?" Hiruzen asked in a solemn tone. He doubted it was a ninja. These kinds of crimes occurred in civilian neighborhoods, were rules and laws were far more lax than the shinobi code. A shinobi that attempted to murder somebody would have been put to death immediately.

"It was Fujibayashi Shiina and Fujibayashi Mumei." The Uchiha answered.

"What?!" Hiruzen bellowed in disbelief, dropping his pipe to the ground. Shiina was one of the most powerful Kunoichi in Konoha. How could she possibly have been killed in a murder?! Who could have had the power to kill her? "Have you found her assailant?"

"We have Hokage-sama. But there is a problem." The Uchiha said. He seemed genuinely unsure of what to do at the moment.

"Well? What is the problem? What could possibly have happened that the Police Force needs me to assist in their investigation?"

"Well, Hokage-sama…It's the assailant. The assailant's identity is…"

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_Fujibayashi Family Estate, Konohagakure no Sato (1223 hours, August 24, 7 AK)_

"Suzu-chan! Lunch is ready!" Shiina shouted at the top of her voice. 36 year old Fujibayashi Shiina was very satisfied with her life right now. She had a loving husband, a wonderful daughter, and the Fujibayashi was on their way to becoming an official clan. It was her dream since she was a genin with Team Jiraiya. None of her teammates were from officially recognized clans, including her sensei Jiraiya. She vowed to become respected enough to be considered for clanship, like Hatake Sakumo did before her. Fortunately for her, her combat ventures were almost as legendary as her colleague Minato.

She was listed in Iwagakure's bingo books as an S-rank shinobi with a "Kill on Sight" notice plastered below her face. She was saddened that it was not "Flee on Sight" notice like Minato, but she still earned a reputation nonetheless. Her husband, though not as well-known as she was, was still listed in the books as an A-rank shinobi. Her family had indeed earned their strips during the war, and soon they would receive the same benefits as other clans.

Their inputs will soon go noticed in the Konoha's Clan Council. They will receive stipends from the government assisting them in any clan related costs. They will be allowed to purchase more land and increase the size of their family. As Shiina thought more and more about the benefits she was soon going to receive, she couldn't help but think about the future of her daughter, Suzu.

Suzu was an odd child. She was taciturn and preferred to dissociating with her peers. She had trouble speaking in conversations that lasted longer than 4 sentences, silencing up awkwardly to the point where other people got fed up and left. Kids can be so impatient, but Suzu was a peculiarly tolerant child. She never complained about anything, which was a silent relief for her mother, but at the same time she was not as ecstatic or lively as other children. She stuck to herself in her room, playing with the bokken that Mumei purchased her for her 5th birthday. Shiina guessed that Suzu wanted to be like her, a swordswoman.

Suzu's aspirations brought pride to the Fujibayashi family. They would often brag to the other parents about Suzu's willingness to learn kenjutsu, much to the dismay of the other clan heads. Shikaku would complain (saying his signature "troublesome" phrase) that Nara Shikamaru would stare endlessly at the clouds and fall asleep wherever he could. Chouza would say that Akimichi Chouji ate too much (which was odd, coming from an Akimichi) and that he was too self-conscious about his…body mass index. Inuzuka Tsume would talk about how obnoxious her younger son, Inuzuka Kiba, was. He was brash and impulsive, and loved to mouth off others without hesitation (possibly inheriting his words from his mother).

Yamanaka Inoichi was the only other parent with a daughter. Hiashi was too egoistic to ever allow his daughters contact with "commoners." Such a shame; recent gossip has it that Hyuuga Hinata was a very caring and compassionate young girl. She hoped that the recently birthed Hyuuga Hanabi would end up the same. For now, she would have to deal with the proud bragging of the Yamanaka clan head. Inoichi always boasted how Ino would make the greatest kunoichi in Konoha, after the legendary Tsunade. Apparently Ino was very, very intelligent for a girl her age. She also had skills throwing senbon and other projectiles and she was very cultured, like her mother. Well, she should be cultured. She grew up in a flower shop.

Suzu wasn't cultured in the slightest. She seemed uninterested in pursuing feminine passions, like playing with dolls or fiddling with cosmetics. She always preferred to play with her bokken, and she never wore make up. Not that she needed it; she was pretty as she was and did not need cosmetic enhancements to make her more beautiful.

Suzu had long, waist-length sepia hair that easily complimented her sepia eyes. She had her mother's brown eyes and her father's brown hair making brown the unofficial color of the soon-to-be Fujibayashi clan. She had a small nose and a large forehead, offset by her straight, narrow eyebrows. Her lips were small and her chin was very smooth.

Indeed, Suzu had the makings of a beautiful kunoichi, but the standards of a powerful shinobi. She probably would have made it far if she was born a male, but that was not the case. Not that Shiina wanted to actually _be _the case. She loved Suzu the way she was, and she would not change it for the world.

"Thinking about Suzu?" Mumei asked, focusing his attention on his newspaper. It was break time at the Hokage Tower, and he was making full use of it enjoying the company of his beloved wife.

"Yeah…"Shiina said, placing both hands under her chin. "I was just thinking about how she and the Yamanaka daughter could be good friends. From what I've heard, Ino is very talented for a female her age."

"Is that a fact?" Mumei asked.

"Uh huh." Shiina said. "I can't wait until she enrolls in the Academy! Imagine all of the friends she'll make?"

"Yeah, no kidding." Mumei responded. "She'll give that Uchiha kid a run for his money."

"Hey, doesn't it strike you as coincidental that many of the clan heirs were born this year?" Shiina asked.

"Major conspiracy alert." Mumei chuckled. "Though the Uchiha kid was the second in his family. That prodigy Itachi is going to inherit the Uchiha clan. He'll definitely make his family and clan proud. Hell, he could probably be the next Hokage!"

"Imagine that?" Shiina said. "An Uchiha as the next Hokage. If that were to happen, we would have gone a long way from our roots." She smiled at the prospect of a potential Uchiha Hokage. The Uchiha were the most prestigious clan in Konoha, after the Senju mysteriously died out. Senju Tsunade could no longer have children, having reached menopause about a year ago. The Senju were officially a dead clan.

There were a lot of prejudices against the Uchiha. Many of other clans believed the Uchiha to be the primary reason behind the Kyuubi attack, since they knew from history that Uchiha Madara was able to control the Kyuubi using his Sharingan. The Hyuuga, in an attempt to undermine the position of their dōjutsu rival, heralded the theory, defending it staunchly against Uchiha rebuttals. The Uchiha were further ostracized as a result, being socially isolated by the other shinobi clans.

The Fujibayashi family and the Sarutobi clan did not share the same sentiments as the other clans and tried to give them their support for as long as they could. But the damage was already done, and the Uchiha were embittered.

"I'm pretty sure Suzu would kick his Uchiha ass any day of the week." Mumei joked.

Shiina chuckled. She was sure, however, that if the Uchiha child were to awaken his Sharingan, then Suzu would be in a world of trouble. "Hey, what's on the news these days?" She said, changing the topic.

"News has finally hit us on the predicament in Suna. Apparently this time last year the Yondaime Kazekage began assassination attempts on his son." Mumei said. "Can't you believe it? Who would try to kill their own son?"

"What I want to know is how do you know this?" Shiina asked.

"Well, I'm the Konoha liaison for Jiraiya-sama spy network. All information that goes to him goes through me first. I know where he's at all the time." Mumei clarified.

"Really?" Shiina asked. "I didn't know Jiraiya-sensei trusted you that much!"

"But Shiina, you were the one who introduced him to me!" Mumei countered. "Honestly, I love working for the man. Jiraiya-sama is pretty damn funny!"

"Hopefully you haven't fallen for some of his more…questionable habits…" Shiina said with a roll of the eyes.

"Hahaha, who do you think I am?" Mumei asked with a shrug of his shoulders. "I am absolutely faithful to you and you alone."

"Yeah, well I better not hear any of the neighbors saying otherwise."

Mumei only smiled at her. Shiina truly loved her husband. Originally, she had deep feelings for Minato, being in the same team and all. However, once Minato became involved with Kushina, Shiina had no choice but to sorrowfully let go of her love. That was when Mumei comforted her. She needed reassurance, and Mumei provided that for her in spades. Soon, a budding friendship turned into a serious relationship. They got married the year before the Third Shinobi World War, but their relationship had to go on hold in favor of the wellbeing of the village.

"So how is your job at Hokage Tower going?" Shiina asked.

"Well, it's going gr-" His voiced became muffled and incoherent.

"It's going what?" Shiina asked, washing some dishes. "Honey, what were you say-UGWA!"

Shiina coughed out blood. She looked down and saw a Wakizashi protruding out of torso. The Wakizashi was thrust further out of her body, and her chest jumped up twice before stilling. She twisted and fell on her knees and stared in horror at the face of her killer. She was 6 years old, with sepia hair and brown eyes reminiscent of her mother. It was like looking at a reflection of her younger self. Tears began to roll down her eyes as she heard her murderer's next words.

"Don't worry mommy, daddy. I'll save you from Dhaos' mind control. It's all going to get better, I promise."

Shiina's body fell on the floor. She was losing blood fast, and she felt herself getting cold. From her peripheral, she saw her beloved daughter raise the Wakizashi above her head, readying for the kill. She turned away from her daughter, to sadden to even worry anymore. She instead faced the deceased corpse of her husband. His body was slumped on the ground next to her, blood flowing from the stab wound on his face. Suzu had stabbed her Wakizashi through his right temple, going straight through his brain and exiting through the opposite side. His eye rolled over his lid in a disgusting fashion, and his tongue was limp and hanging out of his open mouth.

She slowly placed her hand on her husband's face. The tears intermingled with the blood that was rushing out of her mouth, giving it a sort of salty, metallic taste. Shiina never thought she was going to die like this. Minato died in such a glorious fashion, sacrificing his life to seal the Kyuubi into a newborn child. She was hoping she would die an honorable death, like Minato. She wanted to die a warrior's death or, at least a peaceful death with her daughter by her deathbed. Never in her life did she ever consider this.

She turned to face Suzu. She looked into Suzu's sepia eyes and saw the tears that were streaming from her face. Suzu was holding Shiina's Wakizashi above her head, and looked as though she was hesitating. It was already too late though. Suzu pierced her right lung, and Shiina was having trouble breathing. She was feeling so cold and she just wanted her pain to end. As the tears ran down the side of her head, Shiina gave an affirmative nod to her daughter, wondering where, _where,_ she went wrong.

"Mommy," Suzu said, tears dripping down to her mother's solemn face. "I promise I'll save you. I'll get you out of Dhaos' mind control. I promise!"

She drove the Wakizashi down on her mother's forehead.

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_Torture and Interrogation Headquarters, Konohagakure no Sato (2007 hours, August 24, 7 AK)_

Why?

Why did it have to come down to this?

Hiruzen was personally watching the interrogation of 6 year old Fujibayashi Suzu, suspected for the murder of Fujibayashi Shiina and Fujibayashi Mumei. How could she have done something so horrible? To her own parents at that?

The Fujibayashi Estate was a bloody mess. Literally. The blood of Shiina and Mumei had leaked all over the floor, covering the entire ground in a pool of red liquid.

According to preliminary observations, Mumei was the first man to have died several hours ago. Cause of death was a single stab through his temple. Death was instantaneous. Shiina, on the other hand had a more gruesome death. She was pierced a single time through her right lung. She collapsed to her knees due the shock of sudden and mortifying pain. It was then that the perpetrator ended her life with a clean stab through her forehead.

Hiruzen could not honestly believe that Suzu would do such a thing. She always seemed so quiet and detached, yet very obedient and considerate. She did not seem like the sort of person who would kill her parents in cold blood.

Police reports indicated that the perpetrator did not leave the scene of the crime. Suzu was found on the corner of what appeared to be her room, holding herself in fetal position. She kept repeating the question "Why are you doing this, Dhaos?" in a monotone voice and a blank stare. The murder weapon was Shiina's signature Wakizashi, dubbed "Fantasia's Tail." It was discarded carelessly to the side of the room, with the blood of the victims fresh at the blade. All evidence pointed to Suzu as the perpetrator of the crime. The biggest question was why.

That was what Morino Ibiki was tasked to find out.

"Tell me Hiruzen," a familiar yet apathetic voice began. "Why must Ibiki, Konoha's most notorious TI agent, be interrogating a child?" Danzō made his way into the observation room to watch over the interrogation of Konoha's newest felon. It was a scandal so extreme that Danzō had only heard cases like this in Kirigakure, once known as the Bloody Mist Village.

"I wish I had the answer to that, Danzō." Hiruzen replied. "This whole murder is so confusing. It's evident that the child killed her parents. Yet, the motive remains as elusive beyond comprehension."

"You know Hiruzen," Danzō said in an impassive tone. "If there are multiple answers to a given question, the best answer is always the simplest? Maybe you are overthinking things."

"I do not wish to question the child's mental health, if that is what you are considering." Hiruzen said. "She must have been under a genjutsu, or her mind must have been altered…"

"That's just wishful thinking Hiruzen." Danzō said. "How typical."

Danzō was right. No matter how much he tried to twist the logic, all evidence pointed to Suzu. From what Ibiki was currently getting, it seemed that Suzu was not affected by any outside influences prior to the murders. No genjutsu, no seals, no alteration of her mind, nothing.

Hiruzen sighed. He took a puff of his pipe in an attempt to focus his mind on something else. Suzu was very compliant with Ibiki so far, answering his questions and conjectures with what seemed to be honest answers. She was adamant about some entity, dubbed "Dhaos" by the troubled little girl, having control of her parents' minds. According to the girl's own accounts, she tried to save her parents, but nothing she did seemed to work. So she did the only other alternative.

"Face it Hiruzen." Danzō said, turning to make eye contact with the Sandaime Hokage. "The girl has all of the telltale signs of mental instability: asocial behaviors, taciturn attitude, and a firm belief in the existence of a being that others cannot sense."

"Presuming that she is mentally ill, what next?" Hiruzen asked. "She's only a child. In the eyes of Konoha, she cannot be judged as an adult. How can we punish her?"

Suzu's case was unprecedented. Not only was she the youngest human in Konoha's history to commit a felony, but all of Konoha's laws did not apply to her. Rules and laws pertaining to children were left under the individual care of the clans. Civilian children went under the gaze of the Civilian Council. Laws for non-clan children were extremely vague, if at all existent.

He could judge her as a civilian child. But that would bring about widespread controversy among the other non-clan shinobi. 'Why does the office of the Hokage have to be so complicated…?' Hiruzen lamented.

"If you no longer desire your position, you could always abdicate to me." Danzō said suggestively, as if reading Hiruzen's mind.

Hiruzen chuckled lightheartedly. "You know full and well that you are not fit for such a position. That is why Tobirama-sensei entrusted me with Konoha's future."

Danzō said nothing to Hiruzen's comment. To refute such a trivial argument would show weakness. And Danzō was not a person who would willingly display his faults to his archrival.

"Hiruzen," Danzō finally said. "Why don't you just kill her? She's a threat to Konoha's safety. The faster you end her life, the more secure Konoha would be from internal strife. Besides, you would save the child from the inevitable torment once she comes to terms with what she has done."

"I knew you would say that Danzō." Hiruzen replied. "Of course, you would know my response."

"I've figured as much. You've always been soft-hearted, Hiruzen. You failed to kill Orochimaru 4 years ago, even after he experimented on over 100 Konoha shinobi." Danzō said in disgust, the first emotion he actually expressed throughout their little conversation. "Now you can't kill a child. How the mighty has fallen."

"You cannot expect me to do something as cruel and cold-hearted as to deny the child her future?" Hiruzen replied. "What have we fought our wars for? Was it not so that children like Suzu and Naruto could live freely and happily without the threat of sudden death looming over their shoulders?"

"So would you leave her to her own designs while the deaths of two able-bodied shinobi go unpunished?" Danzō retorted.

"I do not plan to let her go with impunity." Hiruzen snapped.

"Then you better decide, and you better decide quickly before word of this incident spread like the _last _one you failed to keep under wraps." Danzō said, referring to the largest information leak in Konoha's history.

Hiruzen thought very carefully about his options. He could kill the girl, denying her future and exacting justice for her crimes. But Hiruzen was not that cruel-hearted. Hiruzen wanted to believe that he was open-minded and willing to forgive. So he did not want to kill Suzu.

He could seal off all of her chakra using the Gogyu Fuuin. That would eliminate all her chances of becoming a shinobi. She could live the rest of her life as a civilian, with this incident quieted from the rest of the civilian population. But her parents would not wish for that for their daughter. Ever since her conception, Shiina had always wished for her daughter to be a powerful kunoichi like her.

That left one option.

Hiruzen made a hand seal. Soon, a dog-masked ANBU shunshin'd into the Headquarters.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The ANBU asked.

"Bring in Yamanaka Inoichi."

* * *

**Hey Y'all!**

**Missed me huh? Well I suddenly got a burst of inspiration for writing a new series, and I spent a week writing chapter after chapter for this new series. So far, I've completed 5 chapters and the plot is looking up. I'm still thinking about whether or not I should have Fujibayashi Suzu, the story's main character, interact more or less with the Rookie 9 and Team Gai. We'll learn more as the plot continues, but I assure you this is going to be awesome.**

**As for the status of my other stories _True Path to Power, Finding Conviction, _and _Release from Pain. _I've decided to give them the same treatment as I've given _Phact Phantasia. _Starting on Sunday, I'll be focusing only on _True Path to Power_, followed by _Finding Conviction _in the following week, and ending with _Release from Pain _the week after that. Once I finish giving all of my stories their individual treatment, then I will go back to the regularly scheduled releases.**

**Speaking of regularly schedule releases, I'll be releasing the next chapter of _Phact Phantasia _next Saturday. From there on, _Phact Phantasia _will be released the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month. I do need to focus on my other stories, so a small side project like _Phact Phantasia _can't have weekly releases. It will be far too much work for me, since I'm already spearheading 4 stories. Wow. But that's not as bad as some people...**

_**Phact**_** _Phactasia _will be 5,000 to 5,999 words long. The Author's note at the end will increase the length of the chapter, but the chapter content itself will always be in that range of words. This also helps with writing other stories.**

**By the way, The title of this story gets its name from a sword with the same name in _Tales of Graces f._**

**This chapter introduces you to Fujibayashi Suzu, the 6 year old daughter of Fujibayashi Shiina. Shiina is one of the two undisclosed genin from Team Jiraiya, and like Namikaze Minato and Jiraiya, she does not have an official clan. She gained her fame in the Third Shinobi World War for preventing Iwagakure from taking Takigakure and the Land of Currents (which was previously unnamed in Naruto canon). She was a potential candidate for Yondaime Hokage, but because she became pregnant shortly afterwards, she could not have the position (not because of sexism, but because of the stress that builds up from carrying a baby). I think that establishes Shiina well.**

**Fujibayashi Suzu didn't get a lot of character development in this chapter, and she did not receive a POV. But she will. Don't worry. Also, she's going to share traits with the actual Suzu Fujibayashi from _Tales of Phantasia, _but she'll be her own person.**

**Dhaos is also in this story. What role will he play? How will Suzu deal with his influence?**

**I hope you guys enjoy the ideas I have spinning around in my head. It was really, really fun writing the last 5 chapters, and I hope I can continue working on this series until its completion.**

**-Blackrazgriz 6/15/2013 12:20PM EST**


	2. Memories Burst Like Bubbles

**Chapter 2: Memories Burst Like Bubbles**

* * *

_Torture & Interrogation Headquarters, Konohagakure no Sato (2121 hours, August 24, 7 AK)_

To say that Inoichi was pissed was an understatement.

He was enjoying a lovely dinner with his wife and daughter, laughing and bonding in a familial manner. It was rare that he had such an opportunity, seeing as his job usually required him to work overtime most days of the week. Ino was talking about this pink-haired girl with a large forehead that she met in the park earlier in the day. She was shy and unconfident, but Ino somehow found something more profound in the girl's personality and decided to befriend her.

Inoichi was proud that Ino found her own friend outside of the famous Ino-Shika-Chou group. Ino had grown to be a rather assertive young girl, bossy and somewhat self-centered. She often put her own interests over the interests of others, and while she was talented and attractive (as far as young 6 year old girls are concerned), those qualities were not enough for a person seeking lifelong friendships. It was a possibility, but this young girl may have attached herself to Ino because she herself did not have any meaningful friendships.

Regardless, Ino was enjoying the presence of one Haruno Sakura. Despite being the daughter of two genin-ranked shinobi of the little known Haruno family, Sakura and Ino seemed to have hit it off well in their budding relationship. All he needed to do was include Suzu into the mix, and Ino would have a circle of friends she could truly rely on. One that could potentially transcend even the Ino-Shika-Chou.

As the evening merriment continued, someone began to knock on the door. It was a unique knock, 1 knock, wait 3 seconds and then 5 knocks. It was a summoning knock, which meant that Inoichi was to get busy this evening. He scowled vocally at his own misfortune, but heeded the calling anyways. He left his home through a secret entrance just behind the bathroom cabinet and met with the dog-masked ANBU.

"What does Hokage-sama want…" Inoichi grumbled. It was times like these that he really hated his job.

"There's been a murder." Dog simply stated.

"Well, that's not under my jurisdiction." Inoichi replied. "If there was a murder, then Hokage-sama can handle it just fine on his own. Why doesn't he just send the perp to Konoha Maximum Security Prison?"

"Because the perpetrator is not an adult." Dog replied.

That rose Inoichi's eyebrow. A child committed a murder? That was completely unheard of!

"Must be a civilian child." Inoichi shrugged. "There's no way in hell a child could kill a shinobi."

"The victims were Fujibayashi Shiina and Fujibayashi Mumei."

"What?!" Inoichi asked baffled. "How? Who killed them?"

"Fujibayashi Suzu." Dog answered.

Inoichi's eye began to twitch. 'This must be some kind of sick joke.' He first thought, but that thought was quickly overridden. Hiruzen would not joke around if he were sending Dog, his most skilled ANBU captain. But why would Suzu do such a thing?

Shiina had always loved Suzu more than anything else. He remembered the time when she came to Inoichi, bragging about Suzu's apparent expertise in kenjutsu. She was going on and on about Suzu's relentless training with her bokken, annoying Inoichi to no end. But she was genuinely proud of her daughter's progress and achievement. Besides, from what he heard of Suzu, she didn't seem like the type of person that wished to commit such a malicious act.

"Hokage-sama is having difficulty deciding the fate of the girl." Dog continued. "He asked me to retrieve you specifically."

"For what exactly?" Inoichi asked.

"I do not know the purpose of your summons." Dog said. "I am merely the messenger. You'll learn of his reasons when we arrive at the TI Headquarters."

"TI Headquarters?" Inoichi asked. "What was he thinking bringing a little girl to the vilest place in all of Konoha?"

"This crime is unprecedented, Yamanaka-san." Dog answered. "There are no procedures to follow for the trying of non-Academy children of shinobi that committed felonies. If she was a genin, then the process would have been much easier. Children aren't expected to kill Upper Jounin strength shinobi, after all."

"…alright then." Inoichi said, after some contemplation. "Thank you for the briefing. We should get a move on."

Inoichi and Dog travelled all the way to the basement of Hokage Tower, where the headquarters of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force was located. The location was fitting for such an organization: civilians that travelled to Hokage Tower under business premises have no idea of the dark and cruel machinations of information extraction occurring under their noses. The Headquarters is also devoid of sunlight. Criminals, prisoners-of-war, and traitors are not permitted the luxury of seeing the light of day, furthering depraving them of potential hope that could strengthen their resolve.

Inoichi and Dog met with Hiruzen and Danzō, who were still overseeing the interrogation of Fujibayashi Suzu. Ibiki could no longer extract useful information from the troubled girl, who continued her ramblings on mind-control and "Dhaos."

Hiruzen had ANBU scour the libraries and information reserves for any potential mention of the entity known as "Dhaos." Suzu had been very adamant about her theory that Dhaos brainwashed her parents in an attempt to compromise Konoha to the enemy. Yet, no such records of Dhaos existed. No birth records, medical records, combat records, foreign reports, police reports, financial transactions, no proprietary records, nothing. Dhaos did not exist in Konoha.

There was the possibility that he could have been a foreign shinobi, but Konoha is surrounded by a protective barrier at all times. The only way for the shinobi to get in was there one of the major compass gates, or if they knew the passcode that permitted entry and exit via the barrier. He could not sneak pass the security of the gate due to its compactness. And there was no documentation of Dhaos ever entering the village in the last 20 years. The probable conclusion was that Dhaos was a figment of Suzu's imagination.

Suzu did not have an apparent motive for her actions, which was delaying her punishment. If Suzu did committed pre-meditated murder, then Hiruzen would have Inoichi reconfigure her mind so that she remained docile and nonviolent for the rest of her life. He did not want to go through with that punishment, in respects to the wishes of Shiina and Mumei. This whole dilemma was giving Hiruzen an irritating migraine.

Inoichi could see the frustration on Hiruzen's face. Shiina offered to take the mantle of leadership from Hiruzen once Suzu had become a genin. She was perfectly capable of such a position, with her reputation from the Third Shinobi World War, as well as her political expertise during her bid for clanship. The Fujibayashi family had not become a clan yet, and as such held a position of impartiality in all aspects of government. She was the perfect candidate, other than Minato or Orochimaru, for the position.

She was friendly and sociable, mingling with heads from other (open-minded) clans often to discuss the growth of their children. Nobody had a problem with her and her husband, and everyone sincerely enjoyed her presence.

Now she was gone. Taking from this world by the person she loved as her daughter.

"Ahh, Inoichi-kun." Hiruzen said, noticing Inoichi's presence. "Welcome. Please, have a seat."

"Is it true, Hokage-sama? Did Suzu-chan really kill her parents?" Inoichi asked, getting straight to the point.

"It is as you hear, Inoichi-kun." Hiruzen said in a gloom voice. "Suzu-chan did kill Shiina-chan and Mumei-kun."

Inoichi stared at the floor speechless. It really did happen. He was mourning the loss of the shinobi under his breath. They did not deserve to die like that, by their own daughter, no less.

"So…what am I here for? If you got Ibiki handling the job, then there's no need for me to be here." Inoichi asked.

"Suzu has been very cooperative in providing Ibiki with information pertaining to the murder. However, she insists that her reason for killing her parents was to save them for the brainwashing of an enigma named 'Dhaos.' We have attempted to locate data of such a being from all information reserves, but nothing pertaining to 'Dhaos' comes up. We have concluded that Dhaos does not exist and is merely a ploy to hide her true intentions." Hiruzen briefed.

"So we need you to sift through Fujibayashi's mind in order to find her real motive." Danzō said.

"I mean no offense but," Inoichi began. "What are you doing here, Danzō-sama?" Inoichi has never liked the dubious air of the bandaged old man. Danzō seemed too shifty to be trustworthy or reliable. Yet, here he was, with Hiruzen, overseeing the interrogation of Suzu. Did she have anything to do with Danzō's personal ambitions?

"What it looks like I'm doing here." Danzō said, not making eye contact with Inoichi. "There is no reason for me to state my business to a shinobi with a lower rank than me."

Inoichi was angered by Danzō's rude statement, but he could do nothing about it. While Danzō appeared old and decrepit, he was the head councilmember of Konoha's General Council, a council of three elders that oversaw the Civilian, Shinobi, and Clan Councils. Their power was only dwarfed by the Hokage, but their influence and prestige had a huge impact on Konoha legislation. While Inoichi himself was Captain of the Konoha Intelligence Division, his rank paled in comparison to Danzō's political power.

"Enough." Hiruzen said, and Inoichi's line of questioning came to an end. "Inoichi-kun, will you go through Suzu's subconscious and find any information worth consideration?"

"I will, Hokage-sama." Inoichi said as he opened the door to the Ibiki's interrogation room.

Ibiki's interrogation room was not unlike the interrogation rooms of the Konoha Military Police. It was a small room, walls painted in grey with a single table at the center. A lamp dangled on the ceiling of the room and was deliberately flickering on and off, as to build fear and tension in the criminal. However, unlike the rooms of the Military Police, there was no high window filtering sunlight into the room. Ibiki sat with his chair facing the wrong position. Suzu was sitting with her hands politely folded on top of the table. When she saw Inoichi enter the room, her eyes widened and she start to fidget uncontrollably. Ibiki stood confused at this new development. All his subtle efforts to instill fear on the little girl failed (due to, in part, by the fact that he did not know how to work with children), and suddenly Inoichi walks in and she is scared out of her wits.

"Relax, Suzu-chan. I'm not here to hurt you." Inoichi said in a calm voice, trying to soothe the child's fear.

"LIES!" Suzu squealed in a high-pitched tone. Hiruzen and Danzō rushed into the room after learning of the abrupt change in Suzu's character. She was trembling in the corner of the room holding her hands to her head. She shook back and forth, repeating the phrase "Mommy, Daddy" with a blank stare.

All four of the shinobi exchange a quick glance at each other, wondering what exactly was going on. Inoichi shrugged his shoulders before turning back to frightened young girl.

"Suzu-chan, I'm a friend of your mother." He said in a soft voice. Inoichi had a ton of experience talking to his daughter, so he was the best fit to comfort the uneasy child. "My name is Yamanaka Inoichi. I promise that I won't hurt you. Now, I'm coming over there slowly, so please don't do anything harmful, okay?"

"Lies…" Suzu said again, her voice muffled by the tears she was choking on. "No, you're out here to get me, just like you did mommy and daddy!"

That earned Inoichi a pause in his advance. _He _was out to get Shiina and Mumei? No, no that was impossible. They were both fine people. He could never try to hurt his fellow Konoha shinobi.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Suzu-chan." Inoichi said honestly. "Your mom was very excited about you meeting my daughter. I am too. Just, let me come over there to you and help you out, okay?"

Suzu stopped crying and looked at Inoichi with such cold disdain. Danzō took note of how much hatred Suzu had in her eyes.

"No." She said with spite and malice. "No, you took my mommy and daddy away from me! Now I'm going to kill you!" She unsheathed a kunai she was hiding under her sleeves and began to charge at Inoichi. "DIE DHAOS!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Unfortunately, the killing stab was not meant to be. Danzō immediately appeared behind her and chopped her at her pressure point on her neck. Her eyes widened for a moment as the realization dawned on her. She dropped her kunai and her body slumped into unconsciousness.

"Danzō," Hiruzen called out. "There was no need for such roughness!"

"I did what I thought was necessary to subdue the girl without killing her." Danzō defended. "She is obviously delusional and deranged. She needs to be killed, Hiruzen."

"NO!" Both Inoichi and Hiruzen said simultaneously. Ibiki held his tongue. Though he agreed with Danzō that the girl was indeed a threat, he did not wish to involve himself with something he thought was trivial. The girl was 6 years old, after all. She was not an imminent or dire threat to anyone. She killed her parents due to preemptive strike, not overwhelming skill, though the way she hid her kunai from even the Uchiha policemen was rather impressive for one with no practical training. Even the Hokage was impressed that she hid a weapon from his presence.

"Inoichi, you know what to do." Hiruzen said. Inoichi nodded. He placed both of his palms over Suzu's head. Although Suzu was unconscious, Inoichi could still dive into her subconscious mind. He closed his eyes and focused intensely on the child before him. Then everything went black.

* * *

_Suzu's Subconscious (2245 hours August 24, 7 AK)_

Inoichi regained consciousness after slipping into Suzu's mind. What he found shocked him to his core.

Suzu's subconscious mind was fragmented. It was a cluster of shattered remains of earth littered all over the place.

The odd thing about Suzu's subconscious mind was that no definitive laws of physics applied to the garbled mess of her mind.

Massive asteroids were suspended in midair (or what could be air). There was no gravity, but at the same time Inoichi did not feel himself being lifted from the ground and wandering forever. He could walk just fine, except he could also walk upside down, right-side left, left-side right and downside up. Suzu's mind appeared as though it could be a world of antimatter. A distortion world would better describe the peculiarity of Suzu's mind.

After wandering about for some time, Inoichi found that the area was quite desolate. The desolation was a mirror of Suzu's own loneliness. It was odd, considering how attached she was to her parents. But maybe her subconscious realized that she was the one who killed her parents, and thus altered itself to satisfy that premise. But Suzu, according to Shiina, was asocial to begin with, preferring to spend her time by herself then with other children. The more Inoichi wandered inside the child's mind, the more depressed he got. This was not the type of subconscious a child should have. A child's subconscious should be more lively and positive, not passive and negative. It made no sense why she actually has it, if her parents were as kind and considerate as he remembered them to be.

"Inoichi, can you hear me?" A booming ethereal voice called out to him.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Inoichi said. Inoichi can communicate with the outside world and vice versa. His mental avatar speaks to people from the outside using the normal vocal process (larynx, tongue, teeth, lips, etc.). Likewise, he could hear what others have to say to him via massive disembodied voices in the horizon.

"Have you found anything that could be linked to Suzu's motive?" Hiruzen asked.

"No Hokage-sama." Inoichi replied. "The girl's mind is a cluttered mess. It is void of any life; plant, animal, or human. Her mind disregards the natural laws of physics that govern our own world. All and all, it's a pretty damn depressing place to live in, excuse my language."

"Don't worry about it." Hiruzen said, disregarding the minor swear. "Keep searching. Let us know if you see anything, understood?"

"Yes Hokage-sama." Inoichi responded. He continued searching around Suzu's subconscious for anything that related to the murder.

As he was searching, some of Suzu's most fond memories began flashing in the background.

Suzu receiving her first bokken. She loved it so much that she began swinging it wildly everywhere she went. She accidently smashed into one of Shiina's pots and broke it. Shiina scolded Suzu, but she forgave her and gave her a warm embrace.

Suzu going with her father to the park. Suzu was nervous at leaving her home for the first time to go to the park. But she immediately set aside those fears when she saw the swing. She happily hopped on the swing, and her father gleefully pushed her up and down.

Suzu falling on her knee. Suzu was busy playing with her bokken while Shiina was cleaning the floor. She tripped and fell directly on her knee, breaking it. It was very painful, but Shiina and Mumei never left her side. Suzu found their closeness reassuring, and she managed to sleep away the pain.

Suzu watching her mother practice. She was so amazed at the techniques her mom used. She loved how her mom can enflame shuriken without using hand signs, or how she charged her Wakizashi with negative Raiton chakra in order to violently attracted positive Raiton chakra from the air above. It filled Suzu with such pride at her mother's abilities, and it made her want to be like her when she grew older.

Inoichi did not know why Suzu's subconscious was being flooded by all these pleasant memories of Suzu's past. The disorganized array that was Suzu's mind should not have the capacity to recall all these memories. The most curious part about it was that all the memories lined up to form a pathway. Inoichi decided to follow the pathway and see where it leads. It felt odd, following this pathway lead to somewhere. It was as if Suzu was trying to guide him to his destination. But that shouldn't be the case either. Suzu was unconscious, so she would not be able to consciously guide Inoichi.

The pathway of memories (which played more fond and sorrowful memories of Suzu's short 6 years) led up to a strangely well decorated palace of earth. Pillars were well designed and symmetrical, the floor was smooth (compared to the rest of Suzu's mind), and the laws of physics seemed to flow at this area. Inoichi could only presume that this was where Suzu retreated when the stress of life was too unbearable for the little girl.

Inside the palace was an extensive, spacious throne room. The throne itself was intricately designed with spires protruding out from the top of the throne. It was vibrantly golden, much like the person sitting on top of the throne.

The man was stunningly handsome, Inoichi hated to admit. His long golden blonde hair raced down his body wildly, yet at the same time gave him an air of grace and refinery. His royal blue eyes shined like the light reflecting of the surface of the ocean. He wore a red headband that was covered by his golden locks. His clothing exemplified the grace he was exuding with his mere presence. A black body suit, laced with golden ornaments, was covered by a regal orange cloak that made him appear like he was a king among kings.

The man was an utter enigma, but it felt like he was overflowing with power. It did not help the fact that he had red and blue orbs orbiting his body at all times, bound by the man's will. His smile made Inoichi want to crawl and beg for mercy, and his gaze penetrated whatever flimsy defenses Inoichi readied himself with.

"W-who are you?" Inoichi finally asked, after regaining his previous resolve. "What are you doing here?"

The enigmatic man laughed. "Isn't it rude to ask for someone else's name before introducing yourself?" He said calmly, as if this was some sort of game. "Besides, I would like to ask you what you are doing here, in my domain."

The man was clearly an intelligent sentient being, according to first impressions. Inoichi decided to indulge the man's questions. "My name is Yamanaka Inoichi. I am the captain of the Konoha Intelligence Division and clan head of the Yamanaka. My purpose for being in this place was to gather information as to the motives of a Fujibayashi Suzu in her recent crime."

The man laughed again. "Suzu…she is such a fool." He said, confusing Inoichi. "She created me, and now she fears me. She would go through any lengths to rid me of my existence. Hahaha, how absolutely pathetic."

"Who are you?" Inoichi said, getting serious.

"I am Suzu." "Suzu" answered. "I am Suzu's subconscious mind." He lifted his right hand. The entire world began to tremor and crack before his might. Inoichi had trouble trying to stand upright as the tremulous quake shook his very foundation. "I am everything Suzu admires." He closed his fist. Massive stalagmites began to erupt from the ground near Inoichi, surrounding him in a perimeter of limestone. "And I am everything she fears." Dhaos slackened his right hand. The tremors halted and the stalagmites receded to the ground.

"Do not speak cryptically with me." Inoichi said. "You are not Suzu. Suzu is a wonderful girl with sepia hair and eyes matching the colors of autumn. Who are you really?"

"You take me for a fool?" The regal man asked. "I am Suzu, and Suzu is me. Her power is my power, and her will is my own. Her thoughts come from mine, and my thoughts stem from her. We are inseparable; kill her and I die, kill me and she dies."

"You're lying." Inoichi accused. "Why would you exist inside of Suzu? You are so different from her, in every way possible!"

"You entertain me, human." The man told Inoichi. "Suzu created me 3 years ago as a means for her to grow stronger. You can say that I am her id. You can likewise suggest that I am her superego. Suzu's true thoughts gave form to me, and Suzu has been providing me with the sustenance I need in order to survive."

"If you are her id, then that must make you…" Inoichi said, piecing together the cryptic messages of the man.

"You are right in your assumption, Yamanaka head." The man said, smiling at Inoichi. "'Dhaos' is the name that Suzu has given me."

"So you are the person that Suzu said brainwashed her parents!" Inoichi said. He now knew why Suzu went ballistic and tried to kill Inoichi. Most likely, Suzu equated Inoichi's long blonde hair as Dhaos' long blonde hair. But how would Suzu know that Dhaos have blonde hair if he resides in her subconscious?

"Suzu often have dreams of me." Dhaos answered, shocking Inoichi. "I can read your facial expressions. I know exactly what you are thinking of from the way you twitch your eye, to the odd manner in which your nose widens in disbelief."

"That's impossible!" Inoichi said. "She can't have dreams of people she's never met before!"

"You forget what I told you, Yamanaka head." Dhaos said, chuckling slightly. "Suzu created me. She knows exactly what I look like. That is all I need to occupy her dreams."

Inoichi could not believe Dhaos' words. Yet everything he said made sense, and was within the confines of current conventional human knowledge. There was only one question left. A question that needed an answer. A question that was the reason why he came here.

"Why?"

"Suzu craves power." Dhaos answered. "She knew that the love she was receiving from her parents was hindering her, so she desired to kill them. I merely provided her the means for her motive."

"No. Suzu never wanted to kill her parents. You were the one who forced this on her! You were the one who played Suzu's hands!" Inoichi accused.

Dhaos began to chuckle. It transformed into an all-out maniacal laugh. As he was laughing, rain clouds began to gather around Suzu's world. A deluge of rain crashed on Inoichi's head. Lightning blitz through the clouds, and thunder claps shattered the air around them.

"I forced this? I AM Suzu. My wish is her desire. Her objectives are my goals. She wanted this just as much as I did. She _needed _this. She could not become a "true shinobi" without understanding what it is like to kill. Now, nothing will get in our way. We will become stronger, and no one will stand before us. Leave me, Yamanaka head. We have nothing further to discuss."

"Hokage-sama, did you get all that?" Inoichi asked. Although everyone in the conscious world could hear everything Inoichi was saying, no one could hear the rants Dhaos gave. Only Hiruzen, who held his hand on Inoichi's shoulder, could hear Dhaos' speech. All of Inoichi's senses inside of Suzu's subconscious mind transferred over to Hiruzen's mind through that contact.

"Yes Inoichi-kun, I heard every single word." Hiruzen replied.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage." Dhaos said in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"I wish I can say likewise," Hiruzen said. "But your presence in Suzu's mind is a liability to her growth as a person. You must be eliminated."

Dhaos became livid at Hiruzen's judgment. The downpour of rain became even heavier, the lightning began to crash all over the palace, and the earth shook uncontrollably.

"You think you can waltz into MY domain and tell me that I'M not welcome here?" Dhaos said, with his cloak beginning to char into flames. The orbs orbiting Dhaos' body began to revolve more rapidly as Dhaos' face turned form the epitome of beauty into a twisted form of anger. "You have the audacity to tell ME whether I can exist or not?"

"And you believe you have the right to decide the fate of someone else's life?" Hiruzen countered.

Dhaos merely laughed at Hiruzen's words. "You are a fool, Sandaime. We are shinobi. We are the instruments of death, designed to kill at the whim of a 'higher' power. We have the privilege!" Dhaos brought both of his hands in front of him. The intensity of all the elemental activities

spiked exponentially. "We ARE the right! And no one will ever dare again attempt to rid me of my existence."

"Hokage-sama, we've reached a dilemma. Please, make a decision now!" Inoichi demanded worriedly. This was Suzu's subconscious mind, and as such Dhaos had as much power here as he deemed necessary. If Inoichi's mental avatar died here, He would die in real life. He couldn't afford that; he wanted to watch his daughter grow into a splendid kunoichi, not die in the mind of a troubled girl.

"Alright Inoichi. Seal off Dhaos from Suzu's mind and erase her memories." Hiruzen said after a rushed decision.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Inoichi said, going through a series of hand signs.

"You're going to die, Yamanaka head." Dhaos said, breaking into a dash. Though his face displayed an inhuman amount of calm, considering his predicament, his eyes betrayed a sense of desperation; of a man striving to survive. If Dhaos was not a mental avatar created by Suzu, Inoichi could have easily mistaken him for an actual human.

"Dhaos Corridor!" He shouted, slamming his left fist into the ground a massive explosion of chakra erupted from the point of collision and threatened to engulf everything in its path. Just as the wave was nearing Inoichi, he completed his series of hand signs and ended with the unique Yamanaka hand seal. A large, invisible force field shielded Inoichi from the brunt force of the attack, but his hair and clothing was still blown back by the ethereal force that bypassed the shield.

"Hijutsu: Shinten Tōbatsu!" Inoichi said as he pointed the Yamanaka seal at Dhaos' direction. A single beam of chakra was released at a blinding speed towards Dhaos' direction. Upon impact, Dhaos immediately froze, unable to move from his own free will.

"W-what is this?" Dhaos asked frustrated. "What kind of technique is this?!" He still tried to move, but it was to no avail. He could only speak to Inoichi.

"We of the Yamanaka clan have a special Hijutsu that allows us free reign over the minds of our opponent." Inoichi explained. "We can extract information from our victim's mind, take control of their body, and alter their entire personality." He scratched his head. "Well, there are moral implications for our techniques, but we live in a harsh world of shinobi. Our techniques are a necessity in order to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our village. And _you _are a liability to that safety. Killing you would risk the life of little Suzu, but I can suppress your influence on her mind."

Dhaos began to laugh again, in the same maniacal manner that he displayed earlier. It was chilling, even more so than Orochimaru's chuckle when he was still a shinobi of Konoha.

"All you can do is suppress me?" Dhaos said in a scoff. "Ridiculous. Suzu and I are intertwined more so than you can possibly imagine. Everything Suzu does I know about. You cannot truly 'suppress' me. I will become free from whatever prison you set me in, and I will exact my just revenge against you, Yamanaka head."

"Say what you will." Inoichi said. "I will be sealing you and erasing Suzu's memories. She will never know of any 'Dhaos' that may have come into her life. You will never be free."

Dhaos chuckled again. "Erase Suzu's memories? That's impossible. Suzu's long term memory is stored tightly and cannot truly be erased in that sense of the word. All you will be doing is delaying the inevitable. I will be back, and you will pay for your insolence." He laughed maniacally as he was lifted into a makeshift tomb that Inoichi created. He still laughed as Inoichi securely sealed the tomb with intricate Yamanaka mental blocks.

Inoichi could have sworn he heard the deranged lunatic's laugh as he demolished Dhaos' palace on top of the tomb. 'I'm not gonna have a good night sleep tonight, am I?' Inoichi lamented as he proceeded to erase Suzu's memories of all significant events that occurred in the last 6 years. He did not want to do this, but Suzu was a criminal, and this was the only thing the Hokage thought was her appropriate punishment. She'll have to start life anew as a new person. Hopefully, with the suppression of Dhaos' influence, Suzu can live life as a normal girl. Hopefully.

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_Konoha General Hospital, Konohagakure no Sato (0903 hours, August 25, 7 AK)_

Her eyes opened suddenly.

As she regained her bearings, she placed her hand over head, trying to fight off a killer headache that plagued her. She looked around, taking note of her environment.

She was surrounded by some weird mechanical devices. Tubes were connected to her body and the machines were making annoying bleep sounds.

It was a small white room with a curtain to cover her privacy. There was a window to her right, where the sun illuminated her room in a bright yellow light.

The girl decided to look out the window to try and see where exactly she was. There were people walking outside, some laughing, others holding on to their children or spouse. Many of these people seemed to enjoy their lives. Maybe the place that she was in was a place for happiness and comfort.

Yet it did not have that air to it. Somehow, the room felt…cold…dead even. She looked at her clothing. She was clothed in a white gown. Nothing else.

There was a mirror next to her bed. She picked it up and looked at it. She was staring at a reflection of a young girl, probably 6 years of age. The girl had long, beautiful sepia hair that complimented her brown irises. She felt like she knew exactly who was in the reflection, but as she tried to think harder, nothing came in mind. It all dawned on her quickly.

"Who…Who am I?"

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**Dhaos Corridor: A technique that belongs to the original Dhaos from _Tales of Phantasia. _Dhaos gathers an intense amount of chakra to a sole point in his fist and releases upon contact with the ground. The chakra is dispersed in a explosive wave, spreading outwards violently and consuming all that meets its path. The technique has a radius ten times the length of the user's body, and serves offensive and defensive purposes.**

**Hijutsu: Shinten Tōbatsu - Secret Art: Mental Subjugation: A Hijutsu Technique from the Yamanaka clan. Can only be used within the realm of subconsciousness. The user forcefully takes over the mind of the subject, providing him/her with limitless control over the subject's mind. This technique is usually a prerequisite for mind alterations, memory erasures, mind cleansing, and other mental breakdowns or growth.**

**NOTE: Hijutsu techniques are secret clan techniques in Phact Phantasia, and as a result will have no rank. All clan techniques, such as the Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Immitation Technique) and Nikudan Sensha (Human Bullet Tank) are hencforth categorized as Hijutsu. Any ranking that comes with the technique is a ranking established within the clan itself as to the potential strength and difficulty of the technique.**

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**Hey Y'all!**

**Hope you guys enjoyed chapter 2 of _Phact Phantasia. _The stage is now set for Suzu's character development and growth. It's odd though, considering that, at the age of 6th, she was still undergoing development of her personality. However, her personality growth was offset by the whispering of her "mental avatar" Dhaos. With Dhaos closed off from Suzu's mind, how will she develop now?**

**That being said, a major note on Dhaos and Suzu. They are not and will not be like their _Tales of Phantasia _counterparts. Also, Dhaos will be the only non-Japanese name I use in this entire fic. **

**Dhaos is condescending and arrogant, and tends to underestimate other people. However, he knows the limits of his abilities and flaunts them sporadically to deter people that he meet. This should strike some as odd, considering that he is merely a figment of Suzu's imagination. Something went wrong in Suzu's mental development, however, that birthed Dhaos, providing him with his own unique personality.**

**Dhaos cannot interact with anybody in the story (considering that he's sealed up in a tombstone reminiscent of his sealing in the game). Dhaos is merely a figment of Suzu's mind, and can only influence Suzu's decisions and actions. He could interact with Inoichi because Inoichi entered his domain and saw him for himself. Only people with the ability to enter subconscious minds (like the Yamanaka and skilled Sharingan users) can personally interact with Dhaos.**

**Suzu has lost all of her memories. How will she go about with her life now that 6 years of relationships were forcefully removed from her mind? Or were they removed? Was Dhaos right, and that Suzu could potentially get her memory back?**

**From here on in, Suzu now will have a perspective in the story. The story will switch to other perspectives occasionally, but the primary perspective will be the main protagonist, Fujibayashi Suzu. As for other characters, like Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Ino, Kiba, Hinata, etc. etc. They will eventually meet and interact with Suzu as the story progresses. I want this to be an Alternate Universe, with alternate events occuring throughout the story. The story will still follow the plot of canon, but with Suzu's interruption, things will change and events will have a different twist to them. For instance: What will happen to Team 7? Will Ino and Suzu become friends, like their parents want them to be? What about Akatsuki?**

**These questions, and more will be answered as the story begins to mold and take form. I look forward for the future of this fic, and I hope I can do Suzu justice (and not make her a Mary Sue, rather a believable character in the Narutoverse).**

**Update 1 Stats: 1 Follower, 1 Favorite, 23 Hits.**

**Next week, I'll be focusing on writing _Release from __Pain_. Next Tuesday, there will be a chapter for _True Paths to Power _released, so get hyped. After _Release from Pain _gets its individual attention, _Finding Conviction _is next. Hopefully, I should go back to regularly scheduled releases in the week of July 7th. **

**Until then, enjoy your week, and stay tune for the next chapter of _Phact Phantasia. _**

**_-_Blackrazgriz 6/22/2013 2:39PM EST**

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**_Naruto_ is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. _Tales of Phantasia_ is owned by Namco Bandai Games Inc. Blackrazgriz does not reserve any rights to the characters and stories of the respective franchises.**

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**NOTE (7/20/2013 4:15PM EST): Changed the spelling of "defenseive" to "defensive."**


	3. Comforting Companionship

**Chapter 3: Comforting Companionship**

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_Konoha General Hospital, Konohagakure no Sato (1145 hours August 25, 7 AK)_

The girl had no idea where she was. Who she was. Why she was here. The answers to all these important questions seem to escape her whenever she tried deepening her search. She couldn't even remember her own name. Every time she tried to remember those details, she would get a large headache, forcing her to rest her head. It was annoying that she had no idea who she was, but there was nothing she could do about it. There was a word to describe people just like her, but she could not recall that, either.

She decided to explore the little room she was trapped in. She had never seen the machines and contraptions in the room. Then again, she does not even remember her life outside of an hour ago. She just woke up and then blank. She wondered if all people went through what she did when they first came into the world.

There was a small table near her with a mirror, a small cup of water and some flowers. If there were some flowers, then that means someone must have been in this room before. Maybe that person knew who the she was.

She decided to explore her own body and see if there were any clues for her identity. She took off the white gown, becoming naked in the process. For some reason, she felt oddly comfortable completely nude, like she often undressed herself often in the past. Well, this feeling certainly was a start. She was one step closer to finding her own identity.

But what she examined did not help her in the slightest. She was an average-build 6 year old girl, nothing out of the ordinary (whatever that was). Her body structure, because of her relative youth, resembled boys and the reason why she assumed she was a girl was because she had a vagina. She did not know why she knew the difference between males and females, but it was oddly fitting, just her comfort in being nude.

Her breasts were not yet developed. It would have been problematic if she started to develop breasts at the tender age of 6. Yet, as she continued to go down her own body, there was an odd marking on her abdomen. It was merely three dots surrounding her navel that resembled a triangle. Her entire body was free from marks and other designs except for her abdomen. This blatant difference sent signals stating that something did happen to her before she woke up in this weird place. Some event of some sort did occur in the hour before she regained consciousness. Or maybe she was just being paranoid.

The door to her room was opened. One female, oblivious to the current state of the young girl, walked into the room whistling a strangely nostalgic tune. She was wearing a white one-piece dress that went all the way to her upper thighs. It was tightly constricting and brought definition to her buttocks. Her right breast pocket was filled with interesting devices, like a sharp looking knife, a pincer looking device, and some pens and pencils. She had a matching white cap on her head, and she wore stockings. The girl thought that the woman looked very beautiful in her outfit.

As she walked closer to the young girl, she dropped whatever she was holding on her hands. The woman saw the young girl stark naked standing near the window. The little girl seemed unmindful to the potential dangers of her nudity and where she was standing, and she was staring at the older woman innocently.

"Fujibayashi-san, please." She said. "Please do not stand near the window naked like that. There could be people watching you from afar, and you do not want that."

"Fujibayashi-san?" The girl asked. "Is…is that my name?"

"Oh dear." The woman said, putting her hands on her forehead. She walked onto a weird device on the wall and pressed the button. "Doctor, the patient appears to be suffering from amnesia."

Amnesia. That's the word the little girl was looking for. She have forgotten everything about her life before she woke up, so that made her an amnesiac. From what the woman said, she concluded that she was in a hospital, or some sort of area that specialized in healthcare. The most positive thing that came from this short encounter was that she now knew that she was a Fujibayashi-san. She should probably pry into this tidbit of information a little while longer.

The woman got off the device on the wall and turned to face the girl. She smiled at the little girl. The girl merely stared at her emotionlessly, her eyes gently peeling off the layers of nervousness the woman constructed.

"Fujibayashi-san, please return to your bed. The doctor has notified me that Hokage-sama will be arriving shortly to meet with you."

"Onee-chan," The girl began. "Who am I? Who is Hokage-sama? Why am I here?"

The woman smiled and placed her hand under the girl's chin. She was mesmerized by the girl's stunning sepia eyes, losing herself in the girl's impassive gaze.

"I'm sorry Fujibayashi-san. I was told that I will not the one to disclose all that information to you. I was informed that Hokage-sama has all the answers to your questions, so he would be the better person to ask. Now come on, let's get you back to your hospital gown."

"But I don't wanna!" The girl pouted immaturely, betraying her mask of indifference while crossing her hands over her chest. She really enjoyed being nude in the small room. Besides, the hospital gown did not actually cover much, only her torso and upper thighs.

"Fujibayashi-san," The woman said in a soothing, motherly tone. "You must understand that Hokage-sama is a wise and venerable man. It would be rude to appear naked in front of him." She explained, to which Suzu nodded innocently. "Besides, we woman should not be naked in front of everyone. Only to ourselves and the ones we love."

"Why?" She asked curiously. Based off her learned preference, it seemed ridiculous to her that she should not reveal herself to the world in such a way.

"Well…" She said, unsure of how to answer this question. The woman did not want to defile the girl's innocence by revealing the existence of perverts and pedophiles, but she did not want the girl to just nonchalantly walk outside completely bare. "There are bad boys out there that would want to harm you because you are naked. Do you want to be harmed?"

The girl thought about it for a second. While she felt very comfortable in the nude, She really, _really_ did not want to get hurt. Yet, there was something inside of her telling her that she could take care of herself. That she was _strong._

"Onee-chan, I can take care of myself!" She exclaimed gleefully, expressing the sudden thoughts that entered her mind. "I'm a strong girl!"

"Fujibayashi-san," She said in a solemn tone, kneeling down to make direct eye contact with the girl. "I believe that you are a strong girl. But there are always people that are stronger than you. You need to know how to be safe, and the hospital gown will help you defend yourself."

The girl looked at her with a stupefied expression. This flimsy piece of paper (it wasn't even cotton) was going to defend?

Yet, what the woman said was valid. While she believed herself to be strong, it would also be foolhardy to ignore the existence of other, more potentially powerful people. People that could try to hurt her because she was naked, as ludicrous as that sounded.

The girl was reluctant, but she eventually put the gown back on. While she was putting back on her gown, she thought a little about strength. Why did she want to be strong? Why was it an overpowering desire, one that transcended the boundaries of memories? She did not know the answer, but she knew that she wanted to be strong now. She wanted to be strong so that she could do whatever she wanted without being hurt by anyone. But how? How will she go about gaining that strength?

The little girl waited for another hour. She preoccupied herself by looking outside the window (with her clothes on) and watching the sparrows fly. She found the free flight of the tiny sparrows enticing as they moved around the air. She was captivated by how such a small creature can maneuver in such an aerodynamic way. The little girl saw herself as a sparrow. She wanted to be able to move that freely, to take to the skies instead of being caged up in this room.

She had explored every nook and cranny of the room. She practically knew the whole layout of the room in her memory (considering that she did not know much, either). She wanted to know more. She wanted to know more about her predicament and who she was as a person. Hopefully the Hokage would answer all of her questions. Hopefully she'll know who she was at the end of this. Just as she was thinking of the Hokage, the door opened up again and an elderly man entered the room.

The man was wearing a white robe that covered his entire body. He also had a white hat with the Kanji for fire embroidered at the very front. He looked very old, with liver spots and wrinkles scattered throughout his face. Yet, his gaze was warm and receiving. Somehow, the girl felt like she had seen this face before.

The Hokage smiled at the little girl. The girl, despite her earlier apathy, politely returned the smile with a very deep bow. From what the woman (who she found out was a nurse in Konoha General Hospital) told her, the Hokage was the leader of Konohagakure. This village was apparently her hometown, but she would not know for certain until the Hokage explained it to her. She was told to be in her absolute best behavior, and the presence of such a powerful figure actually began to make the girl shiver in anxiety.

"Now, now. Relax little one." The Hokage told the girl. She looked up to meet the Hokage's gaze. It was so warm and inviting, devoid of any hate or malice. She could see nothing wrong with the old man, and decided to trust in his words.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." She said. Slowly, her fidgeting stopped and she managed to normalize her breathing rate.

"Now, before we begin, I should introduce myself." The Hokage said with a smile. "My name is Sarutobi Hiruzen, and I am the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. I am pleased to make your acquaintance." He ended his introduction with a nod. Although he wanted to politely bow, the Hokage was the highest ranking position in the village, and a Hokage bowing to a mere child would cause all sorts of turmoil to unfold in the political sphere. He is being watched, after all.

The young girl nodded enthusiastically to Hiruzen's introduction. "I am pleased to make you're a…acq…accounts!"

Hiruzen chuckled. He probably should not have used such a big word on a child. "It's 'acquaintance' little one. It means that you are a person that I know." He smiled brightly at the girl, who enthusiastically nodded in understanding.

"I learned a new word!" She said in childish glee. But then her expression changed to solemnity. "Hokage-sama…who am I?"

"That is the reason why I am here. I rushed in here as soon as I found out that you were awake. I still have some unfinished paperwork, but I need to let you know who you are." Hiruzen said. "Your name is Fujibayashi Suzu. You are a civilian of Konohagakure. Recently your parents have passed away, and you were so fully of shock that your body tried to forget everything."

"My…my parents are dead…?" The girl known now as Suzu asked. She understood the concept of parenthood, from what little she did remember. To have been told that her parents died right after learning of her name; she was at a loss of thought.

"Yes, little one. I'm apologize for your regretful loss." He said, placing his hand on her shoulder. Suzu shook her head several times, trying to deny what she had learned. It was too much for the little girl, and she began to cry. She hugged Hiruzen tightly, and began to bawl on his robe. Hiruzen did not mind. This was all so that she can have a new lease on her life, and helping her through her "ordeal" was something he _needed _to do as a Hokage.

"W…why…why me…" She sniffed. It all seemed too unfair to her. She lost her memory, and now her parents were dead. She does not even remember all the time she spent with her mother and father. She did not even know who they were.

"Do not cry, little one." Hiruzen said calmly. "It is not befitting of a shinobi to cry. Your mother and father would want you to mourn their loss, but they would not want you to cry."

"R…really?" Suzu asked.

"Yes." Hiruzen said. "I knew your mother and father. They were fine shinobi, some of the finest in the village. Your mother could have become the Hokage, if she wanted too."

Suzu was surprised. Her parents were really strong? Maybe that's where she got her innate desire to grow stronger from.

"Suzu-chan," He said, to which she looked into his face. "Your mother was a fine kunoichi, and she wanted more than anything else for her beloved daughter to follow the same path. Do you want to be a shinobi, Suzu-chan?"

She nodded without thinking. If her mother and father were shinobi, and powerful ones at that, then she should honor their memory by following their lifestyle. That is how she will get the power to defend herself; by becoming a shinobi.

"If you want to become a shinobi, then you must not cry Suzu. That is the way of the shinobi, our Nindo. Shinobi cannot express their emotions, even in times of tragedy. We can only protect what we love with all of our power in order to prevent such tragedies from occurring. Do you understand?"

Cannot express emotions? Suzu could not cry? Is this what was needed to become stronger? Did her mother, too, stop crying to become stronger? It all felt so wrong for young Suzu, but the more she thought about it, the stronger her desire became.

"Yes…Hokage-sama." Suzu answered, trying to stop the tears from rolling down her face.

"That is not to say you can't cry now." Hiruzen said reassuringly. "You are still young, and you still have your childhood to enjoy. Make sure you laugh, cry, and enjoy all of your emotions while you still can. Your parents would want you to enjoy your childhood. What's past is prologue, after all."

"P…Pro…Prologue?" Suzu asked innocently.

"Yes, prologue. It's the beginning of a book you know." Hiruzen explained. "Your past is only the beginning. Even if you don't know anything about it you can still move on through the chapters of your life."

Suzu looked at the venerable old man in awe. He said such amazing things, and it all made perfect sense to the young, confused girl.

"Make your parents proud, little one." Hiruzen said. "Let the story of your life be worthy of your children and grandchildren. That is what your parents would want from you, is it not, little one?"

Suzu nodded once again. If she wanted to be a shinobi, she needed to release her hold on emotions. She could no longer cry, she concluded, for it would hinder her growth.

"Very good then." Hiruzen said. "If there is anything else you need, I'll be in my office at Hokage Tower. I'll let you know of any and everything you wish to know about your parents and your background. I wish I can stay longer and discuss these things with you, but I am a very busy man, and I need to get back to my office as soon as I can."

"B-but, Hokage-sama…" Suzu said in a pleading manner. She did not want the old man to leave. She felt like she could truly bond with the man. She wanted him to be her first friend in this new life of hers. But she also understood that Hiruzen had a lot of work to do, from what the nurse told her. She would be very selfish if she tried to keep him all to herself. She let go of his robe and looked down towards the ground. "I understand." She said sorrowfully. "I'll be a good girl, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen smiled before putting his hands on her head. "You will, Suzu-chan. I won't disappear from your life. Promise you will come and visit me often, okay?"

She nodded. She was excited to see Hiruzen again after she left the hospital.

"Excellent." Hiruzen said, standing up and getting ready to go. Before he left, he placed a paper on Suzu's table, right next to her mirror. "This is the directions to the orphanage you will be living in until you graduate from the Academy. When you have graduated, I'll allow you to live in the Fujibayashi Estate. I wish you the best of luck, and I pray that you can find a lot of friends." Hiruzen smiled at her before promptly leaving the room.

Suzu took a look at the paper that Hiruzen left her. She was apparently going to stay at an orphanage called "Komatsuzaki Homes." The whole idea of living in an orphanage brought her back to the harsh reality she was living in. She was all alone, with no father or mother to protect her as she grew older. The Hokage was a nice person, but he could not be relied on to grant her the comfort that only a loved one could provide. There was always that mystery person that left her flowers when she woke up. But she did not want to go through the effort to locate him. Besides, if the person left flowers without staying, then the person probably did not truly care that much about her.

She was all on her own from here on in. She recognized that, and it hurt her. But she won't cry. Not anymore. She did not know why she was in this predicament, but she realizes that it is useless to complain about things you have no control over. All she could do was looking towards the future. It's never too early to begin.

* * *

_Komatsuzaki Homes, Konohagakure no Sato (1638 hours, September 11, 7 AK)_

Suzu returned home very tired after her visit with Hiruzen. She decided to visit him every Monday following his hospital visit. Mondays were the least busy days for Hiruzen, since it was the beginning of the week. The clientele usually came in full spades on Tuesday and Wednesday and those days would be very hectic for him.

Suzu decided that she wanted to help her "Jiji-chan," what she now affectionately called Hiruzen, as best as she could. So she volunteered to file and sort paperwork in his office. Hiruzen was quite relieved when Suzu offered her services; anything that would reduce the amount of stress of his job was greatly welcomed and appreciated.

Suzu found sorting the paperwork to be very easy. It was never mundane, since she would always talk to Hiruzen while working on her assignment, and Hiruzen was more than happy to converse back.

Hiruzen told all of these amazing stories about her mother. Her mother's name was Fujibayashi Shiina, and she was a very powerful ninja during the Third Shinobi World War. Her infamy was widespread and she earned herself the nickname, "Crimson Slash" after the outfit she wore in battle. She used to wear a red haori with a long sleeve fishnet shirt underneath. She wore red gloves with a protective layer of light iron over her knuckles, making her punches more lethal than without her gloves. Her red hakama pants went over her stomach and were tightened in place by an obi she wore over her haori. Unlike common shinobi attire (which used standard issue open toe sandals), Shiina used to wear brown, closed toe, heavy-terrain boots. She also had a yellow scarf over her neck, which complimented the red and brown very well.

Suzu, in an attempt to emulate her mother, began to wear red. She was not going to emulate her exact attire until she graduated and became a genin, but she wanted to get comfortable with the color. She wore red cargo pants and a short sleeve black t-shirt with a picture of a sparrow coated on her back.

She has grown very fond of sparrows and decided to make it her motif (though she herself did not know the true meaning of the word). When she left Hokage Tower from her volunteering, she went to the nearby park to watch the sparrows go about with their lives. She found comfort in their playful activities, but she also longed to have companions in the same way as these sparrows.

Whenever she returned back to the orphanage from her day at work, she would be eyed weirdly by the kids and adults of the orphanage. She did not understand why they gave her all these strange looks. Yes, she was rather asocial. She found it very difficult to communicate with the other kids in the orphanage. Conversations would not last longer than 3 minutes before the awkward silence commenced. She grew used to this, and avoided other children to prevent those situations from occurring in the first place.

If that was not awkward enough, one day one of the workers began to gossip. She was there, reading her book about kenjutsu (which she found interest in several weeks back) when the gossiping started. After it finished, both of the workers eyed Suzu in a bizarre way. When Suzu tried to ask what that was about, the workers would hurriedly rush away from the area. Soon, kids also began to eye Suzu awkwardly too. They walked away quickly when she approached a group of kids, and they stared at her with looks of…contempt? Or what Suzu observed to be contempt. It was as if she did something wrong.

Suzu was all alone again. She was always alone, since the Sandaime left her in the hospital room weeks ago. She wanted to get used to it, but humans long for some sort of camaraderie and companionship in their lives. Most days it would not faze her in the slightest, and others she found herself sitting in fetal position, longing for someone's comfort.

Many of the children were like that. Most, she learned from conversations back when the kids were open and friendly, lost their families during the Kyuubi attack 7 years ago. There were kids here who had to endure 7 years of what Suzu has been feeling for the last 2 weeks. She admired that strength, but it made her wonder why they were so willing to shun her presence.

At least she had it lucky. There was one other kid in the orphanage, a short blonde child with weird whisker marks on his face, that was constantly picked on by the other children. She did not understand the orphan's hatred for this one child. The kid was upbeat and happy, always laughing and pranking the other children. Sure he would get in trouble for his pranks, but Suzu knew that his prankster activities were not intentionally malicious. Sometimes, Suzu even found his jokes pretty funny.

No one in the orphanage wanted to hang out with the child. They all stood away from him and looked at him with such scorn. The pure, unadulterated hatred they pierced the boy with was eons more powerful than the petty looks she got. It was as if he was the one who had killed the previous Hokage. She couldn't understand the children's malice towards the poor kid. All he wanted was attention, and he was getting tons of it; tons of negative, undesirable attention. Ultimately, the kid was lonely, just as lonely, if not more so than Suzu was. So Suzu decided to observe the child. She wanted to see what exactly he did that made him so hated by everyone around them. Once she saw enough, she decided that she indeed wanted to befriend the boy.

Suzu was not sure of what she should do in these kinds of situations. She never took the initiative in trying to make friends. People always came to her when they had questions or wanted to make small talk. But she decided to just go for it.

She knew from her observations of the boy that he attended the Academy. She was a bit envious of that fact, since she could not attend the Academy until the start of the school year in April. The blonde boy had been attending the Academy for about a year and a half. He had two years more of experience then she did, and yet that did not appear to impress the other children of the orphanage.

The blonde seemed to be a part of the "Go Home" club, since he always came at around this time. She would think that he wanted to stay longer in the school, considering the harsh atmosphere towards him. But it would appear that it was the same in the Academy as well.

Suzu herself often stayed longer in Hiruzen's office to escape the stares of the children and the workers. She even stayed at the local park for several hours, just watching the sparrows play gleefully. But the blonde boy seemed to have it far worse than she did. He had nowhere to go, because everywhere he went someone hated him. Well, misery loves company. Suzu decided that today was that she and the boy talked.

She waited in front of the gate of the orphanage, watching kids come and go every so often. The kids of the orphanage were allowed to go outside of the grounds so long as they returned promptly at the curfew time of 1900 hours. The boy always came around 1700 hours and rushed into his room. Most kids in the orphanage lived in rooms with a roommate. But she and Naruto were given rooms of their own. This was not favoritism by the orphanage staff; there were reasons for the rooming accommodations. For Suzu's case, it was arranged by the Sandaime Hokage as a precaution with the Headmaster. She did not know why it was a precaution, but she did not argue against it. The kids were slowly distancing themselves from her anyways.

For the boy, _nobody _wanted to room with him. They avoided him like he was the plague. He was given the accommodations for the safety of all of the tenants of the orphanage.

As the clock approached 1700 hours, she caught sight of the familiar blonde head. He was walking faster than normally and as she approached him with her hand raised, he made eye contact with her before walking even faster and avoiding her entirely. She was rather angry with that rude display. She only wanted to be friends with him. She hated being lonely as much as he did! She puffed her chest forward in anger and began to march to his room.

Boys and girls lived in different floors of the dormitory. Komatsuzaki Homes was a very small orphanage and could not afford multiple buildings to house the children. Boys lived in the 4th and 5th floors and girls lived in the 2nd and 3rd floors. She did not understand why girls lived closer to the ground floor than the boys did. She complained about it earlier, but the orphanage staff merely laughed at her. They told her not to complain about such trivialities, and that she should be grateful.

Since floor plans for the home were virtually identical in each floor, Suzu assumed that all the single rooms were located in the same general vicinity. So all she had to do was check the floors directly above hers (she lived in the 3rd floor) and hopefully she would have found the blonde's room.

To her surprise, the boy did not live in any of the single rooms on the 4th or even the 5th floors. She knocked on every single door, and every one gave her that strange look that she was growing to hate. Those look of contempt…and pity…

She decided to ask one of the staff on the ground floor where the boy lived. Hopefully they would be able to answer her question.

"Excuse me, sir." Suzu asked a male staff member she met on the way down. "Would you happen to know what room the blonde boy lives in?"

"Which blonde boy?" The man asked in an irritated tone. "We have plenty of blondes living in this orphanage. You should have guessed that."

"The one with the strange marks on his cheeks." She clarified. "I'm sorry. I don't know his name…"

"What?!" He exclaimed. "You want to know where the _demon_ lives? Why would you care about it?" He was genuinely baffled at the girl's curiosity towards the boy he called a 'demon.'

"Um…" She said, getting nervous from his harsh tone. "B-because he seems lonely, and I want to be friends with him."

The man started to laugh. "You? Friends with the thing? It must've possessed you or something if you are thinking such thoughts!"

"Um…I'm perfectly fine, sir." She said, confused. Honestly, why was he so hostile to the boy? He's done nothing wrong to anyone from what she saw of the kid. "So are you going tell me where he lives?"

"No." He said with finality. "Why do you even wanna be friends with that…_abomination_ any ways? The brat doesn't deserve any friends. What it deserves is a smiting!"

"Well, if you are not going to tell me," Suzu said. "I guess I'll go to the headmaster. I'm sure she'll give me the proper directions."

"Don't bother girl." The man said. "Headmaster hates the brat. She wouldn't shake a stick at it to save her life."

"Okay, sir." She said. "I'll go anyways. I'll also put in a good word for you too, since you've been so helpful."

The last statement elicited a response from the male worker. A drop of sweat rolled from his face as he began to weigh his options. His sudden nervousness confused Suzu. She honestly was going to give a good word for him. Why would he be shaking up at her statement?

"Okay runt fine…" He said in a defeatist manner. "I'll escort you to its room. Just don't tell the headmaster what I said. How am I going to pay for next week's date if I've been fired…AGAIN…"

Suzu bowed deeply. "Thank you very much sir. I really do appreciate it."

The two of them walked a distance away from the center dormitory of the orphanage. Suzu was genuinely surprised at the size of the so-called "small" orphanage; it certainly was larger than it seemed to be.

A good 15 minute walk from the center orphanage, the two came across what appeared to be an abandoned tool shack. It was not very large and did not look like it would be an ideal shelter for anybody, much less a 6 year old orphan. But the man had escorted her all the way to the shack and told her that this was her destination. He bolted as soon as he was done, mumbling the phrase "damned demon" repeatedly.

Suzu was nervous. She started sweating from her palms as she began to reconsider her actions. But she came this far, so why would she turn back now? She hesitantly knocked on the door several times, waiting for a response.

The door creaked open eerily. Suzu stared into the blue eyes of the person who opened the door and was amazed at such beauty. She seemed to recall seeing such magnificent blue eyes before, but from where she could not grasp. She was so captivated by the boy's blue eyes that she could not say anything.

"Um, HELLO!" He said, waving his hand in front of Suzu's face, snapping her from her stupor. "What do you want? I'm busy!"

"U-um…well…I-I just…" She stammered before trailing off. This was harder than she thought. There was no way anyone else could have been as introverted as she was.

Somewhere in Konohagakure, a young girl with striking lavender eyes sneezed, dropping her cinnamon roll on the ground. She cried for twenty minutes before her attendees replaced her now defiled roll with a new one.

She inhaled deeply, regaining her calm before she spoke to the boy again. "I just…I just wanted to open up with you. I wanted to be your friend." She said. The boy's eyes widened at the revelation. "My name is Fujibayashi Suzu. It's nice to meet you." She concluded her introduction with a very low bow. "What's your name?"

He stood silent, thinking about what he should do. This was the first time someone had willingly tried to open a friendship with him and he was feeling somewhat awkward. He saw Suzu here and there around the orphanage, and he made eye contact with her earlier. But he thought she was going to play a trick on him. It appeared that he was wrong. He decided to put his trust in the seemingly polite girl and introduce himself.

"I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

**Hey Y'all!**

**HAPPY BELATED FOURTH OF JULY! Or for those who live in countries outside of the United States and do not allocate a holiday for the Fourth of July, I hope you enjoyed your Thursday.**

**I apologize for the lack of activity these last couple of days. My laptop charger, like the chap that it is, decided to break down. I had to order a new one, and I wasn't able to type during that period. I ended up writing on a note pad, but I couldn't count words, and Chapter 8 (now Chapter 9) of _Finding Conviction _ended up being a hell of a lot longer than originally planned. Not that I don't mind, but still.**

**I ended up watching a lot of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit during that time, and I could not find the time to concentrate solely on my story. My desire to speed run also renewed, so now I find myself not having enough time to concentrate on my stories. So I need to come up with a new schedule. So here it is.**

**I'll be switching between _True Paths to Power _and _Finding Conviction _every other week. That way, I'll have a full week to work on them as opposed to the original two to three days. But they will now be biweekly, as opposed to weekly. I apologize. They will be released every Thursday.  
**

_**Phact Phantasia **_**will still be regularly scheduled every first and third Saturday of the month. _Release from Pain, _on the other hand, will now have a monthly release as opposed to a biweekly release. I won't give up on any of my stories, so don't worry about me dying out. _Release from Pain_ will be released on the last Saturday of the month from here on in. **

**I want to make this Author's Note longer, but I have plans to speed run Tales of Graces f at 1:30PM EST today, so I'll cut things short. By the way, I completed my first run on Thursday, 7/4/2013 and I got a final time of 8 hours, 24 minutes and 41 seconds! Lambda Angelus can be a fucking bitch. Stupid Mystic Arte killing me instantly and shit...**

**Now for Update Number 2: 2 Followers, 2 Favorites, and 68 Views!**

**No Questions for now.**

**Now if you excuse me, I'm going to exact my revenge against Lambda Angelus. Sub 8, YOU SHALL BE MINE!**

**-Blackrazgriz 7/6/2013 1:15PM EST**

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**NOTE: For anyone interested, I completed my Tales of Graces f speed run today. I now have a personal best of 7 hours 9 minutes and 4 seconds. Lambda Angelus is still a dick. (7/6/2013 9:21PM EST)**


	4. Blood, Sweat, and Tears

**Chapter 4: Blood, Sweat, and Tears**

* * *

_Komatsuzaki Homes, Konohagakure no Sato (1812 hours September 11, 7 AK)_

"I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto introduced.

Naruto wore a white shirt with an orange spiral at the center. He wore orange jeans that went all the way to his lower calves. Unlike Suzu, he was wearing blue shinobi sandals, in spite of the fact that he was not yet a shinobi.

He was very nervous about meeting Suzu. Although she seemed like a polite and kind young girl, it could all be a rouse to try and hurt him. It's happened to him before; it may happen to him again.

But the look that Suzu gave him was devoid of any of the hatred he has seen with other people. It was very warm and inviting, much like the gaze of the Sandaime Hokage. Naruto barely see such docile eyes like hers. It was definitely welcoming and Naruto felt like he could relax in her presence.

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Uzumaki-san." Suzu said with a deep bow.

"Likewise, Fujibayashi-chan." Naruto responded. Suzu blushed at the honorific. Other than the Sandaime Hokage, nobody has ever referred to her as "chan" before. It was definitely a positive start to their relationship.

And then the awkward silence kicked in. Suzu automatically ran out of topics to talk about. She never thought she would have gotten this far with the blonde boy, who she now knew as Naruto. She was always bad at keeping conversations going, and today was no exception.

Naruto was having a similar dilemma. The only people he has ever spoken to in more than two sentences were the Sandaime Hokage and the Ichiraku family. Everyone avoided him at all costs, and every futile attempt to make new friends backfired with him being chased away or the other party just walking away.

"Um…" They both said at the same time. Both of them blushed at the awkward situation they managed to get themselves into.

"I would like to get to know you a little better, if that's okay with you." They said simultaneously again. Both of them scratched the back of their heads, finding the situation to be steadily weirder.

"Yeah, it's okay with me." They both said yet again. Now both of them placed their hands on their hips in frustration at the stupidity of this moment.

"You first." Once again, concurrent remarks. Both of the kids stared at each other, waiting for the other to speak up. When the silence stretched on for longer than 2 minutes, Suzu, in a brilliant epiphany, raised her hand and pointed at herself. Naruto, who instantly got what she was trying to say, nodded his head in agreement.

"Let's find someplace better to be at. I'm sure you don't wanna hold the door forever, right?" Suzu asked.

"Uh…yeah…sure, okay." Naruto said, unsure of what to do at this point. It was nearing curfew and all the other kids needed to go back to their rooms at 1900 hours. They did not have much time left to spend with each other, and Naruto did not know where exactly to go. He did not hang out with friends often (because of obvious reasons) and he did not know any special meeting spot.

"Here." Suzu said, grabbing on Naruto's hands. "There's a big tree that has a nice shade near the dormitory. Maybe we could go there?"

"Yeah! Sure!" Naruto said excitedly. He let Suzu lead him down the 15 minute walk back to the dormitory. After walking for a few more minutes, they came across a huge elm tree that was almost as large as the dormitory itself. Suzu led Naruto to the base of the tree, finally letting go of his hands.

"This is my favorite spot in the whole orphanage!" She said before she began to climb the tree.

"B…Be careful!" Naruto shouted, worried about the excited young girl. She did not seem like she would be this energetic when they met only a few minutes ago. It was as if…as if…as if she was genuinely ecstatic about being Naruto's friend. The thought at first seemed implausible, considering the treatment he was receiving from everybody. But then he felt very warm, happy even that the girl was willing to accept him. He wanted a friend more than anything else in his life, and he never expected to get one so…so randomly.

The girl stopped climbing the tree, rested on the nearest branch and held her hand down. "C'mon Uzumaki-san!" She shouted. "It's not that bad!"

"I don't know Fujibayashi-chan." He said nervously. "It could be d-dangerous…"

"Aw c'mon!" She said disappointedly. "Or are you a big chicken?"

"Chicken? Me? NO WAY!" He screamed and ran towards the tree. Running towards the tree gave him the momentum he needed to make a big leap towards the nearest sturdy branch he could find. He managed to get a good grip on the branch, and hoisted himself on top. From there he carefully found graspable branches and began climbing towards Suzu's branch. When he reached it, he took a sitting position right next to Suzu. It was hard to balance himself on the branch, but Suzu was doing it just fine, and he did not want to be outdone by a girl.

Suzu smiled at Naruto before standing up on the branch. The sudden shift of balance almost knocked Naruto over the branch, but he managed to hold on (just barely, to the giggling delight of Suzu). Suzu then began to climb even higher on the tree, trying to reach the highest sturdy branch she possibly could.

"Wait!" Naruto screamed. "We probably shouldn't do this…"

"C'mon Uzumaki-san!" Suzu said, almost pleadingly. "You made it this far! Don't stop!" She continued to climb higher on the tree.

Naruto was rather terrified. He was already pretty far up, so any minor trip or fall could do major damage to his developing body. But Suzu seemed so unconcerned with her own safety. He never thought his first "friend" would be so darn adventurous!

Naruto would not just sit idly by and watch as he got outdone by a girl. His pride as a 6 year old boy would be crushed! So Naruto strengthened his resolve and began his trek higher towards the canopy of the tree. His hands were beginning hurt from gripping the branches too hard, but Naruto paid no mind to the pain. There was only one thing going on his mind; he could not disappoint the girl.

After several minutes of climbing, the two reached the canopy of the tree. Naruto was awestricken by the view he had from the height of the tree. Konoha was being blanketed by the twilight of the coming evening. The twilight gave the village a different vibe than the sunrise or the sunset. It was not yet evening, but the blackness of night intermingled with the receding colors of the sunset to make a wonderful blend of nightfall. The (potentially) dangerous trek to the canopy of the tree rewarded the two kids with such an amazing view. But that was not what Suzu had in mind when she climbed up here.

"You know, sparrows make their homes up in trees like this." Suzu said, closing her eyes and listening to the ambiance of evening.

"Really? I didn't know." Naruto replied. Naruto and Suzu were sitting in different branches, just so that their combined weight does not overwhelm and break them. Both of the kids were resting their backs on the trunk of the tree, looking at opposite directions. But they were paying full attention to the other. After all, they did have nobody but themselves to hang out with.

"Uh huh!" Suzu said. A gentle breeze blew passed the two kids on the tree. Suzu allowed her hair to be blown by the wind, each strand dancing beautifully as the wind passed. Suzu was not wearing her usual ponytail (since this was supposed to be a special occasion), so all of her long hair was being blown together. She did not mind it at all though. The only thought going through her mind was how pleasant this evening was going.

"Hey, Suzu-chan." Naruto said, surprising the little girl. Naruto noticed her surprise when he felt his branch shaking slightly. "Um…I could call you Suzu-chan…right?"

Suzu giggled. "Only if I can call you Naruto-kun!"

Naruto nodded vigorously. "Of course you can!" Naruto then turned his head towards the sky. The orange glow of the sunset was being engulfed by the blackness of the dusk, and the stars were creeping their way into the night sky. This truly was a wondrous sight that Naruto would not have known if he did not meet Suzu. Today made a strange turn to the better.

Naruto was very upset with the behavior of an arrogant Hyuuga today in the Academy. Hyuuga Neji was the leading Academy student for the year behind him. He hated how he was attracting so much attention on himself simply because of his skill, and Naruto (being the responsible sempai he was) wanted to prove otherwise to the brash Hyuuga. He was in for a rude awakening when he was systematically beaten by the Hyuuga prodigy. Naruto hated to admit it, but the Hyuuga was too damn good for someone his age. Following his humiliating defeat, all the children in the Academy began to laugh at him mockingly. He hid his own disappointment by laughing with them and smiling, but he lamented his own lack of ability.

It was not his fault. His teachers were unsupportive and refused to assist him with his problems. Whenever he raised his hands to ask questions on topics he had difficulty with, the teachers would scold him for his lack of knowledge. They never gave him pointers on his flaws and typically ignored him to focus on more talented students. He hated the lack of attention he was receiving so he turned to the only other alternative: pranks.

"Suzu-chan." Naruto said seriously. "I just wanted to say…thanks. Thanks for wanting to be my friend."

Suzu was thinking of what to say in this predicament. 'No problem!' Suzu first thought. But she felt that the phrase wasn't good enough. 'What are friends for?' She thought again. But she thought that was too clichéd. She racked her mind trying to find the best words for this moment. Then she found one. She found the one phrase that would hopefully deepen their developing bond and make Naruto sympathetic.

"You know…" She began, looking up to the stars that littered the skies. She never ever considered looking at the sky when she was up at this tree. She felt that it was ironic, since her greatest wish was to be able to fly. This, she thought, was truly the moment that she sought for so long, since her departure from the hospital. "…you aren't the only one that was in need of a friend."

Naruto turned his head around to try and see Suzu, but she was right behind the trunk he was leaning on so he could not see her. He found it unbelievable that a girl like her would not have any friends. She was, he had to admit, rather cute, with such alluring sepia eyes and long sepia hair. She was also very adventurous from all the little time they spent with each other. She was such an amazing girl, so Naruto assumed she would have lots of friends. But to learn that she was as lonely as he was really depressed him. He was really fortunate to have met the girl. He was sure that she shared the same sentiments.

"Hey Suzu-chan," Naruto said. "I think it's time for us to go. It's getting pretty late."

"Yeah." Suzu said in a sad tone. "Are you gonna be busy at school? Am I gonna see you again?"

"Nah, I'm not gonna be busy at school." Naruto answered honestly. He always went straight home from the Academy either to try (and fail) to do his homework or plan his next great prank. "And yeah, I'll like to see you again."

Suzu was so happy that she practically jumped out of the tree. The sudden movements forced Naruto to hold tightly on the trunk for his dear life.

"Dammit Suzu-chan, are you trying to get me killed?" Naruto asked. Gods be damned, if he ever became this reckless and dangerous…

* * *

_Komatsuzaki Homes, Konohagakure no Sato (2013 hours September 21, 7 AK, Autumn Equinox Begins)_

Suzu and Naruto were hanging out in her room (since Naruto's shack was not big enough to accommodate both of them), laughing at the latest prank Naruto pulled out. He filled a milk carton with flour and air and placed it inside the refrigerator for some unsuspecting kid to try and drink. It exploded on his face, covering him in a layer of white. Both of the kids ran as fast as they could to avoid any and all trouble they may have gotten themselves into. Of course, everyone was going to blame Naruto for the prank, since they knew him as the "Prankster King from Hell." But Naruto did not want to bring Suzu into his mischievous acts. Naruto and Suzu kept their growing friendship secret from other children (rather, because of Suzu's asocial attitude for life she did not bother to tell others, and Naruto was hated by everyone in the orphanage, so nobody would care), so if the kids find out that Suzu was friends with Naruto, they would shun her due to her association.

Suzu has repeatedly told Naruto that she did not care about what they thought of her. They had been gradually distancing themselves from her, and Suzu had never bothered to close the gap. She was never the conversationalist type, so she had trouble talking to them in the first place. But something was different about Naruto. He had the air that he _wanted _to get to know you, despite your flaws. He did not care whether or not you were good or evil, brash or shy, talkative or quiet. Naruto still wanted to be your friend. It was a wonder for Suzu how come the blonde was not surrounded by a circle of close friends.

Not that Suzu wanted that. She was bad around groups of people. She once tried to fit in with a group of girls at the beginning of her stay in the orphanage, but she hated how they talked about bland and trifling topics. It was one reason why she hated being a girl: for some reason, they had nothing better to talk about.

She'd much rather prefer to hang out with Naruto. The blonde was unpredictable and a load of fun. His pranks were always funny and ingenious, and the getaways were some of the most thrilling chases of her life. She was earnestly surprised how they both managed to escape pursuit: Naruto wore bright orange pants, and she wore bright red pants. It should be relatively easy to locate them from their attire, but they were so good at stealth that they nullified their disadvantage almost completely.

Today was the beginning of the autumn equinox. Suzu and Naruto decided that they would publicize their friendship. Naruto tried to argue against Suzu's idea, but Suzu was adamant and impetuous, a combo that made her stubborn beyond comprehension. Naruto, although worried about her status, had no other choice but to comply. The girl simply could not listen to reason.

"So…" Suzu began. "How was school?"

"Oh, ya know." Naruto said. "The usual."

"Neji-teme beat your butt again?" Suzu asked. It's happened so often in the last 10 days that Suzu guessed that was "the usual."

"No…maybe…" Naruto said. "But that's not what I mean! Ya know, with the teachers and stuff…"

"Oh…" Suzu said, looking down to her bed. "Why do they even do that, anyways?"

"Beats me." Naruto said. He turned his body from his laying position on the floor before throwing all his limbs in the air. "Gosh, it's so unfair! Why does that gotta happen to me?!"

"I don't know…" Suzu said. She honestly did not though. Naruto was an alright kid. He should not be getting shunned like he does. "C'mon Naruto-kun. It's time!"

"Ok…" Naruto said reluctantly. He was having doubts about this, but there was no turning back at this point. Naruto gathered everything he brought to Suzu's room and placed them all in his book bag. He and Suzu shared one glance before nodding their heads in an unspoken agreement. At this point, Naruto and Suzu did not need to actually convey their feelings into words to direct their message to the other. It seemed ridiculous that they could get so far into their friendship in less than ten days, but when both of them were desperately searching for that one true friend, they were more than willing to open up completely.

Suzu already told Naruto about her amnesia. She told him that the doctors suspected she received her amnesia as a result of the traumatic (whatever that word meant) experience of losing her family. She talked about her awkwardness when it came to social situations and how she preferred to avoid people instead of making friends. Of course, she elaborated how Naruto was completely different from everyone else, and she was glad that she met him.

Likewise, Naruto told Suzu all about the bullying he received from the residents of the orphanage. About how they would try to spike his food with dirt or dead insects, or how they pushed him to the mud whenever it was raining. All that bullying did not bother Naruto though. He told Suzu how much he hated the glares, however. The bullying was rare and did not happen often. But the glares of disdain were suffocating. It was like everyone hoped that by glaring daggers at him, he would probably die.

With the nod, Suzu and Naruto held hands, as if they were a couple, and valiantly walked out of the room. Naruto was hesitant and nervous, keeping his head down at all times, hoping that nobody would recognize him in spite of his distinguishable features. Suzu, on the other hand, was confident and brave, keeping her head up like she held no regrets.

As they walked down the halls, they were met with various glances and stares. Many of them were glares of hatred, aimed primarily at Naruto. Some of the kids were even glaring at Suzu, as if she was just as horrific as Naruto was. Some kids had expressions of remorseless pity. They looked as though Suzu and Naruto were going to hell and nobody could help them for what they were worth. Some of the girls were looking at them with envy in their eyes. The way Naruto and Suzu held hands suggested that they were a couple. That was what Suzu wanted people to think, but that was not the case. She knew that she was too young to worry about romance, and even if she wanted to, she found the topic mundane and slightly revolting. It was also a waste of time for Suzu, preferring to better spend her time doing productive activities, like volunteering at the Hokage's office. Still, the girls were jealous of Suzu having something that they could not, even if it was with Naruto.

They travelled all the way to the first floor and walked into the cafeteria. The moment they stepped foot, hand in hand, it was as time froze for all the kids eating dinner. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at Suzu and Naruto _holding hands. _Many of the kids thought it was impossible for Naruto have made a friend. But some of them actually thought it was eventually going to happen. After all, Suzu was a freaky loner who did not talk to anyone. Besides, there were the rumors circulating around her. Rumors about what she had done in the past. Rumors about why she was in the orphanage in the first place. Those kids thought it was fitting for the two _outcasts _to be with each other, so they stopped paying them any mind.

Naruto and Suzu walked confidently (or partly confident, in Naruto's case) through the cafeteria to get to their seats. As they walked, children grabbed their trays and tried to get out of their way. Suzu paid them no mind, but Naruto was highly conscientious about their harsh behavior. Why did they have to be ostracized for? How could Suzu possibly not let this affect her? It was all unfair to Naruto, but he did not want to leave Suzu's side. Her presence was comforting, and her bravado inspiring. Naruto thought that his audacity to pull of pranks against higher authorities was special, but Suzu's ability to stare prejudice directly in the eyes without breaking was a gift he was not sure he'll ever have in himself.

Suzu and Naruto grabbed their dinners, which was udon noodles, and made their way to the most detached, isolated table in the cafeteria. Suzu knew that nobody would want to sit next to Naruto, so might as well not try to force it. In any case, she managed to get her point across. Now everybody that cared knows that Naruto, the most hated kid in the orphanage, was friends with Suzu, the most distant girl in her age group.

The udon noodles were sloppy and undercooked. It was as if the kitchen staff deliberately made a different batch of noodle slob, just to serve to Naruto. When Naruto picked up the noodles with his chopsticks, they literally disintegrated into nothingness. It was enough to make even Naruto want to vomit.

Naruto usually ate dinner outside of the orphanage. The whole sabotage of his food has been occurring since he first arrived years ago. He'd preferred to eat at Ichiraku's Ramen, where the noodles were of amazing quality, and the patrons (Ichiraku Teuchi and Ichiraku Ayame) were the kindest souls in Konoha. He usually saved up his orphan stipend just so he could purchase meals at Ichiraku's. It was one of the few things he had to look forward to after the end of the Academy.

Suzu laughed as the noodles turned to mush. Despite the fact that they both had horrible food, she still had a good time with Naruto. Naruto, who listened to Suzu laughing, joined in on her laughter. Suzu somehow always made his upsets into joyous occasions.

"Hey, what's so funny?" A large, cheeky boy asked. He had such a mischievous grin on his face, and Suzu knew that he was not here on friendly terms. The boy was surrounded by four other boys, who seemed to be in his clique. They all giggled impishly, as if they were expecting something to go down.

"Well," Suzu said, in her politest tone. "We found it funny that Naruto-kun's noodles turned into slop." She guessed that they were not trying to be sociable, but she decided to be nice anyways. Maybe they would actually change their minds…

The boy slapped the bowl of noodles off of Naruto's hands, and it landed all over his pants. Half of the cafeteria, who stopped eating their foods to watch the interesting developments, began to laugh hysterically. Even some of the staff joined in on the laughter. All of them decided that it was not in their interest to interfere.

"HEY!" Suzu screamed, surprising Naruto. He'd never heard her raise her voice before. It was a little frightening. "What'd you do that for?"

"Aw look at that!" The lead bully said. "The damned murderer is defending the godforsaken demon!"

Suzu and Naruto were silent at the name Suzu was given. 'Murderer?' She thought in confusion. 'No, that's not true. I've never killed anyone before…have I?' She wanted to believe that she never killed anyone before, but the span of her memory is that of a few weeks. Maybe she did once before she lost her memories. But she's only a little girl! No little girl could possible kill anyone. Moreover, it was a bully that had said that. Maybe he was trying to get into her head, like he did when he called Naruto a 'demon.'

Naruto maybe a prankster, but he was the sweetest boy that Suzu's ever known (considering she only really knew about 2 people). He was the last person she would think be a demon.

"Guys, could you leave us alone?" Naruto asked, his tone of voice betraying a hint of nervousness. "We're tr-"

"SHUT UP _THING!_" The bully said. "Nobody was talking to you."

Naruto flinched at being called a thing. These guys really did not think he was a human…

Suzu was beginning to be irritated. She bit her lip hard, accidently releasing blood that dripped down her mouth. The group of boys noticed the blood and began making snide remarks.

"Aww, the widdle girly girl bit her lip." The lead bully mocked. "Someone get her a tissue."

One of the boys pulled out a tissue from…inside his pants…and offered it to Suzu. She was about to accept it (because her knowledge of grotesque behavior was severely limited) when the boy spat mucus filled saliva on the tissue. From there, three-quarters of the cafeteria broke into uncontrolled laughter.

"HEY!" Naruto screamed, having enough of this idle wait. "LEAVE SUZU ALONE!"

"Hahaha! The thing wants to protect its girlfriend!" The bully mocked again. "Isn't this romantic? The demon and the murdering freak is so much in love!"

Naruto had enough of the kids' hurtful jokes. He himself could stand it for a while, but Suzu was his friend. He wanted to protect her with everything he had, and now was the right time to show his stuff.

Naruto tried to punch the lead bully in the face, but the bully sidestepped easily and landed a solid blow on Naruto's face, knocking him down to the ground.

Suzu snapped.

She was holding in all of her violent urges to attack the boy in favor of a more peaceable approach, like the Hokage always told her. But seeing Naruto hurt on the ground like that awakened something within her. Something she was subconsciously suppressing for the last couple of weeks; her desire to fight.

She pounced on the bully with a fully body charge, knocking him down to the ground. She pounded his face viciously with hook after hook as the boy tried to defend himself futilely with his forearms. The other boys were stunned at the pure rage Suzu had unleashed.

After growing tired of punching his cheeks repeatedly, Suzu punched the boy directly in the eye. As the boy reached his hands out to hold his now aching eye, Suzu thrust her palm at the boy's throat. She clenched tightly, her long, uncut nails digging deep into the bully's flesh. Blood was flowing down from his throat as he weakly grabbed onto Suzu's shoulders, trying to release the grip of the bloodthirsty maniac. Suzu responded by tightening her grip on the boy's throat.

"HOW DARE YOU HURT NARUTO-KUN!" She screamed in a squeaky high pitched tone. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH NARUTO-KUN!"

As the bully felt his life leaving him, the grip on his throat suddenly loosened. One of the boys in the clique finally gained some courage to attack Suzu, who was trying to kill the head bully. He kicked Suzu on the face, knocking her down harshly on the ground and removing her from on top of the bully's body. The bully began to cough horrendously, trying to get the air back into his lungs. He pointed at Suzu's body on the ground, and all the boys nodded their heads simultaneously.

Together, all of the boys began to stomp on Suzu's downed body. She receded into fetal position to defend herself from all the kicks and stomps, but the boys were attacking her head and stomach for as much damage as they could.

Naruto, who had been downed after that punch, was rubbing his nose when he saw the other boys' gang up on Suzu. He grew incredibly angry at how they were beating Suzu down unfairly. Never mind the fact that Suzu had been attempting to strangle a boy to death, Naruto wasn't going to allow his first friend to get hurt anymore. In a burst of speed and power that all were too preoccupied to notice, Naruto brutally tackled the closest boy to the ground and began pounding on him in the same way Suzu did with the lead bully. Each punch, unlike Suzu's however, was laced with a steadily increasing flow of chakra, enhancing the explosive power. The more he punched, the more intense pain the boy felt. Eventually, he was punching so hard, the boy's teeth began to chip and damage.

Taking advantage of Naruto's momentary distraction, Suzu grabbed the wooden chopstick that fell on the floor after the bully spilled Naruto's dinner and viciously stabbed one of the boy's legs. The stab was so powerful, the wood managed to penetrate deep into the boy's flesh. The boy let out a bloodcurdling scream as he reached to try and pull out the chopstick from his leg. Suzu swept his leg and forced him into the ground face front. Fighting the pain she felt from the barrage of kicks and stomps, Suzu went on top of the boy.

This time she was not thinking about strangling her new victim. No. She wanted to hear him _squirm_. A sadistic grin was plastered into her face as she plunged her thumb into the boy's right eye. If the prior bloodcurdling scream was horrible enough to make some of the kids in the cafeteria vomit, this scream was so ungodly grotesque that the kids began to run out uncontrollably just to get away, stampeding over each other hurriedly. The boys that originally ganged up on Suzu began to back away. Even Naruto stopped his assault to watch in horror as Suzu plunge her thumb deeper into the boy's eye socket.

"HOW DARE YOU HURT NARUTO-KUN?!" She shouted repeatedly. Her grin was still on her face, but her eyes no longer contained its gleam. She stared blankly at her poor victim, who could do nothing to release the girl from the top of his body. She cared less as his remaining eye started to tear up at the sheer hopelessness of his situation.

"SUZU-CHAN!" Naruto screamed, snapping her out of her apathy. "Please…Suzu-chan, no more…"

Suzu turned to look at Naruto. She saw his luminous cerulean eyes dripping with tears. This was all too much for him to bear. He was only 6 years old, and the idea of death was too frightening for him. Even if they hated him, he did not want to see anyone die.

"No…more…"He sniffled.

Suzu looked around. The entire cafeteria was empty. The only ones who remained were Suzu, Naruto, the boy that Suzu was trying to torture, and some of the orphanage staff, who were stunned silent at the violent display of the quiet, passive little girl. She turned back to Naruto. Releasing her thumb from the now unconscious boy (who fainted from shock), she placed her blood soaked hands on Naruto's face, wiping his tears. Naruto did not flinch when she used the hand that was just inside the boy's hand. No, he cared far too much for his only real friend to let something like that turn him away.

As she wiped the tears away from Naruto's face, droplets of blood from her hand dripped down Naruto's face. It looked as though the blonde was crying tears of blood. She held her hand on his cheeks, trying to comfort Naruto. Naruto saw a single tear roll down from Suzu's eye, dripping off the very bottom of her chin.

"Don't cry, Naruto-kun. Shinobi can't cry. Shinobi...endure..."

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**Hey Y'all!**

**Okay, I thoroughly enjoyed writing that scene. It was a scene that I wrote knowing that I was limited to the roughhousing of 6 year old children. It wasn't a battle scene between two equal shinobi, but at the same time it wasn't a scene between normal children. Naruto and Suzu are far from normal. Naruto is the Jinchuuriki of Kurama, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and Suzu is...Suzu is...special?**

**About Naruto's brief scuffle. He was accessing very minuet amounts of the Kyuubi's chakra for each punch. We know how his emotions affect the amount of chakra the Kyuubi. It's a proportional ratio: The more powerful his negative emotion, the higher the concentration of chakra the Kyuubi gives to Naruto. Now, Naruto isn't immediately going to go 4 tails because a bunch of bullies are mean to him and Suzu, but this will be the first time he (subconsciously) accessed the Kyuubi's chakra. Think of it as a similar situation to the first chapter of Naruto, with Iruka and Mizuki. Except that Suzu wasn't completely on the receiving end of the punishment.**

**Suzu's sociopathic urges have finally found an outlet following her memory erasure. The girl sure loves to beat the shit out of things...will this affect her friendship with Naruto? What's going to happen now that she nearly killed two kids?**

**I also hope you guys enjoyed that tree scene. Suzu's love for sparrows will soon intertwine with her personality. **

**By the way, I am releasing all of my stories in my deviantart account. Check it out! **

**I'd like to thank Kukun Charge for being my first reviewer! There's absolutely no pressure for you to review, since I'm going to do this story anyways, but the reviews do brighten up my days. This will be my first (and only) request for reviews. I don't usually do it, though, so don't expect one next chapter.**

**Update 3 stats: 1 Review, 2 Favorites, 4 Followers, and 134 Views! Thanks a lot everybody for your support for this story.**

**No questions for this week.**

**Alrighty then! See y'all all in August for the next chapter! And make sure you stay tune next Thursday for the release of _True Paths to Power, _and the end of the month for _Release from Pain. _**

**_-_Blackrazgriz 7/20/2013 4:12PM EST**

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**_Naruto_ is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. _Tales of Phantasia_ is owned by Namco Bandai Games Inc. Blackrazgriz does not reserve any rights to the characters and stories of the respective franchises.**

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**NOTE (7/20/2013 4:22PM EST): I forgot to mention that I beat my previous time in Tales of Graces f. My new time is 6 hours, 52 minutes, and 25 seconds. I beat Lambda Angelus in one go, but Kurt and Emeraude can go suck multiple penises.**


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